Thiol-functionalized Fe3O4/SiO2 microspheres with superparamagnetism and their adsorption properties for Au(III) ion separation

Thiol-functionalized Fe3O4/SiO2 microspheres (Fe3O4/SiO2-SH) with high saturation magnetization (69.3 emu g–1), superparamagnetism, and good dispersibility have been prepared by an ethylene glycol reduction method in combination with a modified Stöber method. The as-prepared composite magnetic spheres are characterized with fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), zeta potential, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and superconducting quantum interference magnetometer, and tested in separation of Au(III) ions from aqueous solutions. The data for Au(III) adsorption on Fe3O4/SiO2-SH are analyzed with the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm models, and the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion kinetics models. The adsorption behaviors of Au(III) on Fe3O4/SiO2-SH follow the Langmuir isotherm model, and the adsorption process conforms to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum adsorption capacity of Au(III) on Fe3O4/SiO2-SH is 43.7 mg g–1. Acetate anions play an important role yet Cu(II) ions have little interference in the adsorption of Au(III) on the adsorbent. A satisfactory recovery percentage of 89.5% is acquired by using an eluent with 1 M thiourea and 5% HCl, although thiols have a high affinity to Au(III) ions based on the hard-soft acid-base (HSAB) theory by Pearson.