POLYANILINE, HALLOYSITE NANOTUBES AND THEIR NANOCOMPOSITE AS ADSORBENTS FOR ORGANIC DYES

Abstract

This work is devoted to the study of the adsorption efficiency of methylene blue and methyl orange dyes by polyaniline base (PANI), halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), and their nanocomposite (HNTs/PANI). PANI and the nanocomposite were prepared by the chemical oxidative polymerization of aniline in the absence and presence of HNTs followed by subsequent dedoping by ammonia solution. The morphology and thermal stability of the adsorbents were explored. In particular, the TEM method showed that the nanocomposite consisted of practically non-agglomerated nanoparticles with a “core-shell” morphology. Particles of pure polymer are quite agglomerated and form massive aggregates. The kinetics of decreasing the concentration of dyes in solutions upon their contact with adsorbent powders was studied by the method of electron spectroscopy. The HNTs/PANI nanocomposite was found to absorb both dyes with slightly higher efficiency than the PANI base probably due to more developed surface of the former. Processing of the obtained results of adsorption of both dyes on the studied adsorbents according to different kinetic models (pseudo-first and pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion) showed that in all cases this process is best described by the pseudo-second order model, which indicates the chemical nature of adsorption. The calculated adsorption capacity of the adsorbents under study appeared be quite close to the experimental one. These materials can be used as effective adsorbents for cleaning wastewaters from organic dyes.