TY - JOUR
T1 - Strontium ions capturing in aqueous media using exfoliated titanium aluminum carbide (Ti2AlC MAX phase)
AU - Shahzad, Asif
AU - Oh, Jae Min
AU - Rasool, Kashif
AU - Jang, Jiseon
AU - Kim, Bolam
AU - Lee, Dae Sung
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021
PY - 2021/6
Y1 - 2021/6
N2 - The etching of MAX phases using hydrofluoric acid (HF) is not environmentally-friendly. Therefore, in this study, a MAX phase named Ti2AlC was synthesized and etched using a green hydrothermal alkalization approach, resulting in nanofibers (Alk–Ti2Cfibr) and sheet-like (Alk–Ti2Csheet) nanostructures. Nanostructures with exceptional physicochemical properties with an excessive number of active binding moieties were deployed to remove radioactive strontium ions (Sr2+) from matrices, such as deionized (DI), tape, and seawater. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized using analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The synthesized nanostructures were highly stable in water, unlike other HF-etched MXenes, possess a unique structure, large surface area, and are enriched with oxygenated terminal groups. Sr2+ adsorption performance of nanofibers and nanosheets was evaluated in typical batch tests. The nanostructure unveiled a maximum adsorption capacity of 296.46 mg/g, which is among the maximum removal capacity reported for similar removal, including identical graphene oxide and its composites. Additionally, in seawater, Sr2+ adsorption capacity was 3543.33 µg/g with more than 95% removal efficiency. The adsorption mechanism study confirms the electrostatic interactions between Alk–Ti2Csheet and Sr2+.
AB - The etching of MAX phases using hydrofluoric acid (HF) is not environmentally-friendly. Therefore, in this study, a MAX phase named Ti2AlC was synthesized and etched using a green hydrothermal alkalization approach, resulting in nanofibers (Alk–Ti2Cfibr) and sheet-like (Alk–Ti2Csheet) nanostructures. Nanostructures with exceptional physicochemical properties with an excessive number of active binding moieties were deployed to remove radioactive strontium ions (Sr2+) from matrices, such as deionized (DI), tape, and seawater. The synthesized nanostructures were characterized using analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and infrared spectroscopy. The synthesized nanostructures were highly stable in water, unlike other HF-etched MXenes, possess a unique structure, large surface area, and are enriched with oxygenated terminal groups. Sr2+ adsorption performance of nanofibers and nanosheets was evaluated in typical batch tests. The nanostructure unveiled a maximum adsorption capacity of 296.46 mg/g, which is among the maximum removal capacity reported for similar removal, including identical graphene oxide and its composites. Additionally, in seawater, Sr2+ adsorption capacity was 3543.33 µg/g with more than 95% removal efficiency. The adsorption mechanism study confirms the electrostatic interactions between Alk–Ti2Csheet and Sr2+.
KW - alkalization
KW - Alk–TiC nanostructure
KW - MAX phase
KW - radioactive waste
KW - radionuclide
KW - strontium
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85102267672&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.152916
DO - 10.1016/j.jnucmat.2021.152916
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85102267672
SN - 0022-3115
VL - 549
JO - Journal of Nuclear Materials
JF - Journal of Nuclear Materials
M1 - 152916
ER -