Adsorption of quinolone antibiotics in spherical mesoporous silica: Effects of the retained template and its alkyl chain length

In this study, mesoporous silica (meso-silica) MCM-41 and those with the templates retained were synthesized and characterized. Adsorption capacities of the synthesized materials towards typical quinolone antibiotic pollutants, enrofloxacin and norfloxacin as representative, were investigated, and effects of the alkyl chain length of the templates on the adsorption capacity were evaluated. The results of this study indicated that the retained templates enhanced the adsorption capacities (Qmax) of the meso-silica MCM-41 toward hydrophobic enrofloxacin, but had an inhibitory effect on that towards hydrophilic norfloxacin, which were attributed to the hydrophobic inter-environment created by the long alkyl chains of the retained templates. Importantly, the adsorption capacity increased with the increase of the alkyl chain length of the retained templates.