Efficient Removal of Cd (II) from Aquatic Media by Heteronanostructure MgO@TiO<sub>2</sub>@g‐C<sub>3</sub>N<sub>4</sub>
A. Modwi, Mukhtar Ismail, Hajo Idriss, Mohamed Ali Ben Aissa, Lotfi Khezami, M. Bououdina
Abstract
MgO@TiO 2 @g‐C 3 N 4 heteronanostructure was synthesized using a simple ultrasonication technique and assessed potentially to remove Cd (II) from aqueous environments. X‐ray diffraction analysis confirms composite formation with mean crystallite size in the range of 4‐17 nm while transmission electron microscopy analysis reveals nanosheet‐like nanoparticles with the homogeneous elemental distribution. N 2 adsorption‐desorption measurements indicate the formation of a mesoporous structure with a BET surface area of about 107 m 2 /g. Fourier‐transformed infrared elucidates the presence of O–H, amino groups, triazine, Mg–O, and Ti–O vibrations modes. At the same time, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis manifests the presence of Mg, O, N, Ti, and C elements. For aqueous Cd (II) ions, the MgO@TiO 2 @g‐C 3 N 4 nanostructure displays a superior adsorption efficiency, reaching 99.94% Cd (II) elimination with an optimum adsorption capacity of 515.86 mg/g in a short duration of 16 min. This study demonstrates the capability of using the MgO@TiO 2 @g‐C 3 N 4 nanostructure as an efficient and reusable adsorbent for the uptake of Cd (II) ions in wastewater treatment and potentially for the removal of other heavy metal ions.