Synthesis and characterization of ecofriendly silver nanoparticles combined with yttrium oxide (Ag-Y2O3) nanocomposite with assorted adsorption capacity for Cu(II) and Cr(VI) removal: A mechanism perspective

Abstract

This research demonstrates the solution combustion synthesis (SCS) of silver nanoparticles combined with yttrium oxide (Ag-Y2O3) using urea as a fuel material. The morphology, composition and crystallinity of nanocomposite were confirmed using standard techniques. Due to the doping of yttrium oxide, the synthesized nanocomposites were found to be thermally stable, asymmetrical, and well distributed without any aggregation with an average particle size of 65 ± 3 nm and surface area of 18.05 m2 g−1. The applicability of synthesized nanocomposite for multiple heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions was tested by performing batch experiments. Applicability of Langmuir isotherm confirmed the monolayer adsorption of Cu(II) and Cr(VI) on nanocomposite. The maximum adsorption capacity of nanocomposite obtained using the Langmuir isotherm was 815 mg g-1 and 867.85 mg g-1 for Cu(II) and Cr(VI) adsorption respectively. It’s noteworthy that the observed maximum adsorption capacity is ˜300% higher as compared to other adsorbents reported in the literature. The ΔH° value confirmed the physical adsorption of both these metal ions on nanocomposite. The synthesized nanocomposite also showed excellent ability for simultaneous removal of multiple metal ions from the synthetically prepared textile industry wastewater. Negligible reduction in the percent removal of Cu(II) (98.5 to 93%) and Cr(VI) (98.3 to 95.1%) was observed in four subsequent adsorption-desorption cycles. Finally, the environmental toxicity of the synthesized nanocomposite was assessed by determining its antibacterial and antifungal activity against selected beneficial microbial species which indicated the risk free and safe disposal of the used nanocomposite.