Adsorption behavior of methylene blue onto titanate nanotubes

Calcined titanate nanotubes were synthesized with hydrothermal treatment of the commercial TiO2 (Degussa P25) followed by calcination. The morphology and structures of as-prepared samples were investigated by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and N2 adsorption/desorption. The samples exhibited a tubular structure and a high surface area of 157.9 m2/g. The adsorption of methylene blue onto calcined titanate nanotubes was studied. The adsorption kinetics was evaluated by the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and Weber's intraparticle diffusion model. The pseudo-second-order model was the best to describe the adsorption kinetics, and intraparticle diffusion was not the rate-limiting step. The equilibrium adsorption data were analyzed with three isotherm models (Langmuir model, Freundlich model and Temkin model). The best agreement was achieved by the Langmuir isotherm with correlation coefficient of 0.993, corresponding to maximum adsorption capacity of 133.33 mg/g. The adsorption mechanism was primarily attributed to chemical sorption involving the formation of methylene blue-calcined titanate nanotubes nanocomposite, associated with electrostatic attraction in the initial bulk diffusion.