Abstract
Efficient adsorption of Ba ions was achieved using Sn@TiO2 nanocomposite generated by ultrasonication process with subsequent calcination at 300 °C. X-ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transformer infra-red, and scanning/transmission electron microscopy analyses were performed to probe the structural and textural features of the adsorbent powder. The XPS, FTIR, and EDX analyses confirmed the Sn doping into TiO2 host lattice. Some interesting features, including the increase of crystallite size and lattice parameters, were attained due to the successful Sn incorporation into the TiO2 host, as indicated further by XRD analysis. The sorption results fitted the Langmuir isotherm model and the kinetic data complied with the pseudo-second-order kinetics. The adsorption process improved markedly above the pHzc due to the electrostatic attraction between the negatively charged Sn@TiO2 particles’ surface and the positively charged Ba ions. The achieved high-performance mesoporous Sn@TiO2 nanostructures for the adsorption of Ba2+ could be potentially utilized to remove other toxic metal cations.