Organosilica Nanoparticles with an Intrinsic Secondary Amine: An Efficient and Reusable Adsorbent for Dyes

Nanomaterials are promising tools in water remediation because of their large surface area and unique properties compared to bulky materials. We synthesized an organosilica nanoparticle (OSNP) and tuned its composition for anionic dye removal. The adsorption mechanisms are electrostatic attraction and hydrogen bonding between the amine on OSNP and the dye, and the surface charge of the OSNP can be tuned to adsorb either anionic or cationic dyes. Using phenol red as a model dye, we studied the effect of the amine group, pH, ionic strength, time, dye concentration, and nanomaterial mass on the adsorption. The theoretical maximum adsorption capacity was calculated to be 175.44 mg/g (0.47 mmol/g), which is higher than 67 out of 77 reported adsorbents. The experimental maximum adsorption capacity is around 201 mg/g (0.53 mmol/g). Furthermore, the nanoparticles are highly reusable and show stable dye removal and recovery efficiency over at least 10 cycles. In summary, the novel adsorbent system derived from the intrinsic amine group within the frame of OSNP are reusable and tunable for anionic or cationic dyes with high adsorption capacity and fast adsorption. These materials may also have utility in drug delivery or as a carrier for imaging agents.