Dedoped Fe3O4/PPy nanocomposite with high anti-interfering ability for effective separation of Ag(I) from mixed metal-ion solution

Abstract Magnetic nanocomposites have been well recognized as promising candidates for enzyme immobilization, DNA extraction, targeted drug delivery, and removal of various metal ions. In this paper, dedoped Fe 3 O 4 /PPy nanocomposite has been obtained by simple ammonia-washing of the newly-formed Fe 3 O 4 nanoferrofluid/PPy derived from in situ polymerization approach. The magnetic nanocomposite is characterized with XRD, FT-IR, TEM, BET, zeta potential, and magnetometry techniques, and further tested in the role of separating Ag(I) from mixed metal-ion solutions containing Ag(I), Mg(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), As(III), and Pb(II). The adsorption of Ag(I) upon dedoped Fe 3 O 4 /PPy is an endothermic and spontaneous chemisorption process, ensuring rapid separation of Ag(I) from aqueous solution. The maximum adsorption capacity of Ag(I) upon dedoped Fe 3 O 4 /PPy is 143.3 mg g −1 . The total adsorption process preferably follows the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second order kinetics. Mg(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), and As(III) have minor effects whereas Pb(II) has a relatively remarkable effect on selective separation of Ag(I) from solutions. The magnetic nanocomposite is featured with superparamagnetism, a multicore–shell structure, a soft-base surface, excellent reusability, and a high anti-interfering ability for selective separation of Ag(I) from multiionic solutions, presenting a promising candidate for practical application in selective separation of Ag(I) from silver-containing emissions.