Progammed synthesis of magnetic mesoporous silica coated carbon nanotubes for organic pollutant adsorption

•The surface of CNTs/Fe3O4 is hydrophilic, which facilitates the silica coating.•The CNTs/Fe3O4@mSiO2 was synthesized by a facile method.•The CNTs/Fe3O4@mSiO2 can be a good adsorbent for the organic pollutant.

Magnetic mesoporous silica coated carbon nanotubes were produced from hydrophilic monodisperse magnetic nanoparticles decorated carbon nanotubes using well controlled programmed synthesis method and were characterized by TEM, XRD, FTIR, TGA, N2 adsorption–desorption and VSM. The well-designed mesoporous magnetic nanotubes had a large specific area, a highly open mesoporous structure and high magnetization. Firstly, SiO2-coated maghemite/CNTs nanoparticles (CNTs/Fe3O4@SiO2 composites) were synthesized by the combination of high temperature decomposition process and an sol–gel method, in which the iron acetylacetonate as well as TEOS acted as the precursor for maghemite and SiO2, respectively. The CNTs/Fe3O4@SiO2 composites revealed a core–shell structure, Then, CNTs/Fe3O4@mSiO2 was obtained by extracting cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) via an ion-exchange procedure. The resulting composites show not only a magnetic response to an externally applied magnetic field, but also can be a good adsorbent for the organic pollutant in the ambient temperature.

Graphical abstractMagnetic mesoporous silica coated carbon nanotubes were produced from hydrophilic monodisperse magnetic nanoparticles decorated carbon nanotubes using well controlled programmed synthesis, which can be a good adsorbent for the organic pollutant in the ambient temperature.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide