Synthesis, characterization, and cadmium(II) uptake of iminodiacetic acid-modified mesoporous SBA-15

An organic–inorganic hybrid mesoporous material, iminodiacetic acid (IDA)-modified mesoporous SBA-15, was prepared by a two-step post-grafting method. By means of solid-state 13C CP-MAS NMR, thermogravimetic analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), as well as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the structural and physicochemical properties of the materials were characterized. The cadmium(II) uptake experiments show that the iminodiacetic acid-modified mesoporous SBA-15 (IDA-SBA-15) exhibits excellent ability to remove cadmium(II) from aqueous solutions. The cadmium(II) adsorption isotherm of iminodiacetic acid-modified mesoporous SBA-15 (IDA-SBA-15) is in good accordance with the Langmuir equation.