Preparation of 3-dimensional flower-like NiFe2O4 with enhanced adsorptive performance for water contaminants

In the work, 3-dimensional (3D) flower-like NiFe2O4 was prepared for the removal of water contaminants via a facile hydrothermal method and using Ni foam as substrate. The as-prepared NiFe2O4 was characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Nitrogen adsorption-desorption, vibrating sample magnetometer and Fourier transformed infrared. The as-prepared NiFe2O4 owns a high specific surface which is favorable for adsorption of water contaminants. And the magnetic property of the as-prepared material, which is also preferred in wastewater treatment, makes it easy to be separated from the water. To investigate adsorption behavior, UV-visible spectrophotometer, adsorption isotherm and adsorption kinetics were studied. It is demonstrated that the adsorption process fits well with the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second-order model. The maximum adsorbing capacity (qm) of the 3D flower-like NiFe2O4 for Congo red adsorption was 229.89 mg g−1, and the adsorption capacity reached 80% in 10 min. The enhanced results suggest that the as-prepared 3D flower-like NiFe2O4 is a potential adsorbent for industrial wastewater treatment.