Facile preparation of mesoporous titanium nitride microspheres as novel adsorbent for trace Cd2+ removal from aqueous solution

•Mesoporous titanium nitride (TiN) microspheres were synthesized by a simple and mild route.•The TiN microspheres are evaluated as a new sorbent for trace Cd2+ removal.•The TiN microspheres exhibit excellent water treatment performance.

A simple and facile route is developed for the preparation of mesoporous titanium nitride (TiN) microspheres with a large surface area and a highly porous structure. This method involves the preparation of an amorphous precursor via a solvothermal reaction and subsequent short-time nitridation process to mesoporous TiN. X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses confirm the composition of the resultant sample. The mesoporous structure of the as-prepared TiN sample has been studied by nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurement. The surface area obtained by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method is 50.6 m2 g−1 and the pore sizes are in the range of 2.0–4.0 nm. In addition, the obtained sample is evaluated as a new sorbent for Cd2+ removal. Experimental parameters such as solution pH, contact time and concentration of adsorbate are optimized. The maximum adsorption capacity for Cd2+ removal is found to be 12.40 mg g−1 and it is a potentially attractive adsorbent for Cd2+ removal from aqueous solution.

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