Preparation of Synthetic NiFe-Based LDH: Adsorption of Sodium Sulfadiazine from Aqueous Solution

Abstract

Layered double hydroxides (LDH) are versatile and easy-to-apply materials, and in this work, they proved to be easily synthesized using NiFe in the form of nitrates with variation of the pH in the synthesis. Its structure could be confirmed by means of X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and transmission electron microscopy. The efficiency of NiFe-LDH as a sodium sulfadiazine (SDZ-Na) adsorbent was evaluated from isotherms and kinetics, where the data best fitted the Langmuir model, presenting a correlation coefficient of 0.9999 and a maximum adsorption capacity of 631.5 mg g-1, despite its moderate surface area at 117.23 m2 g-1. In addition to the adsorption capacity of NiFe-LDH, it was evident through FT-IR analysis that part of the drug used ended up adhering not only to the surface of the material but also to its layers.