Prussian blue-functionalized magnetic nanoclusters for the removal of radioactive cesium from water

• An efficient method for fabrication of Prussian blue functionalized magnetic nanocluser.
• Fabricated magnetic absorbent exhibit excellent removal efficiency of radioactive 137Cs from water.
• Fast and easy magnetic separation of Prussian blue functionalized absorbent from water.
• The magnetic absorbent has promising application for the cleanup and treatment of 137Cs-contaminated water.

Prussian blue-functionalized magnetic nanoclusters were fabricated for the highly efficient removal of radioactive cesium (such as 137Cs) and rapid magnetic separation of absorbent from 137Cs-contaminated water. The magnetic nanoclusters, synthesized via the hydrothermal method, were coated with Prussian blue (PB) via a simple reaction with potassium hexacyanoferrate under acidic conditions. The resulting Prussian blue-functionalized magnetic nanoclusters had a large distribution coefficient, even in the presence of 3000 ppm competing ions such as K+, Na+, Ca2+ and Mg2+, and excellent removal efficiency (>99.7%) of radioactive cesium from contaminated water. Furthermore, they possess good saturation magnetization values (27.5 emu/g), allowing for rapid separation from an aqueous solution using an external magnetic field. Therefore, these magnetic adsorbents have promising applications for the treatment of radioactive cesium-contaminated water.

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