Synthesis, Surface Modification and Characterization of Magnetic Fe3O4@SiO2Core-Shell Nanoparticles

Abstract

The nanoparticles of the magnetic core-shell Fe3O4@SiO2 were produced using a modified Stöber approach and functionalized with (3-amino-propyl) APTES triethoxysilane and ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA). Magnetic nano adsorbents exhibit many attractive opportunities for different purposes due to their easy removal and possibility of reusing these nanoparticles. The ligands grafting was chemically stable and did not affect the morphology or substrate structure appreciably. APTES-EDTA microspheres were formed for the removal from aqueous solution solutions of trivalent rare earth elements ions since the REEs have a strong oxygen affinity. The advantages of the SiO2 shell that covers the magnetite nanoparticles include lower specific weight and a larger grafting density compared to other surfaces, improving the resistance to acidic environments. Different techniques have described the particle size, morphology, precise surface area and surface alteration including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). The results show that the Fe3O4 nanoparticles with an average particle size of 15 ± 3 nm were successfully synthesized at pH=11, at 25 °C temperature. Moreover, The nanoparticles prepared for Fe3O4 were coated with amorphous SiO2 and functionalized with amino and carboxylic groups.