Experimental study on synthesis, characterization and applications of novel adsorbents

Abstract

Novel materials usher new technologies and since time immemorial mankind have been thriving to discover and develop new materials to benefit them. In this project work, two relatively new porous materials viz. MCM-41 and Cu-BTC were synthesized, following standard recipes. Detailed characterizations were carried out to ascertain the products formed, following techniques like Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis, BET surface area analysis and Laser particle Size Analysis. SEM images revealed contrasting surface morphology for the synthesized products. MCM-41 showed discontinuity in crystal formation with imperfections and distribution in porous networks whereas Cu-BTC showed a much uniform growth of crystals with regular sizes, shapes and porous network. Powder X-ray diffraction also corroborated the findings and it showed that as-synthesized MCM-41 was amorphous in nature whereas Cu-BTC was crystalline. The BET surface area measurements data showed that the specific surface area of MCM-41 was ca. 1200 m2/gm and for Cu-BTC, the value stood at ca. 1500 m2/gm. Laser particle size analysis for MCM-41 also showed a wider distribution of particles, using water as the dispersant medium. A new variant of MCM-41 was also synthesized by replacing the costly Si source (Tetraethyl orthosilicate) with cheaper source (Sodium silicate solution). Surface area data showed a much lesser surface area of ca. 36 m2/gm. This variation could be attributed to post synthesis treatments and presence of cetyl tertiary butyl ether (CTAB) in the framework as a template. Owing to higher surface area Cu-BTC was used for studying the degradation of polystyrene. The study showed affirmative results in the degradation temperature of polystyrene.