A facile sacrificial template method to synthesize one-dimensional porous CdO/CdFe2O4 hybrid nanoneedles with superior adsorption performance

Abstract

In this work, we have developed a facile sacrificial template method to prepare one-dimensional (1D) porous CdO/CdFe₂O₄ hybrid nanoneedles (HNNs) with uniform pore size distribution and structural stability for the first time. The solid 1D Cd₂Fe(CN)₆ NNs with a smooth surface are first synthesized and used as sacrificial templates through a simple low-temperature hydrothermal process. After thermal treatment, the solid precursor NNs can be transformed into the corresponding porous CdO/CdFe₂O₄ HNNs. Due to the large-scale production and unique structural features, the as-prepared porous CdO/CdFe₂O₄ HNNs can serve as a highly efficient adsorbent towards removal of Congo red (CR) from aqueous solution with a maximum adsorption capacity of 1491 mg g⁻¹. Furthermore, the adsorption process of CR on porous CdO/CdFe₂O₄ HNNs was systematically carried out, indicating that the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second-order kinetics model can describe well the adsorption behavior. The result demonstrates that the as-prepared porous CdO/CdFe₂O₄ HNNs may be a promising candidate in dye effluent treatment.