Abstract
In this work, we report an experimental investigation on the synthesis
of zeolites A and P, using kaolin as the main SiO2 and Al2O3 sources, by
hydrothermal route, as well as on the structural, spectroscopic and
magnetic properties of the produced zeolite composites with magnetite
nanoparticles. The zeolites were successfully synthesized and the
characterization of the obtained materials was carried out considering
different techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared
vibrational spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM),
transmission electron microscopy (TEM), as well as measurements of the
magnetization as a function of the temperature and applied magnetic
field. XRD analysis confirmed zeolites A and P as main crystalline
phases, with a low intensity peak regarding the presence of small
quantities of quartz remaining from the unreacted clay. SEM showed the
well-defined morphologies of zeolites and, in the composites, magnetite
nanoparticles dispersed over their surface. The average size of the
magnetite nanoparticles was ca. 50 nth as determined by TEM analyses.
The magnetic characterization confirmed the ferrimagnetic behavior of
the magnetite nanoparticles and of the composites, as well as verified
that the magnetic properties of the nanoparticles are not affected by
the zeolites in the composite formation. Thus, the results evidenced
that high quality zeolite composites with magnetite nanoparticles can be
reached by considering the employed low cost method, placing this route
as an attractive alternative for water softening reaching removal levels
of about 97% in the first application times. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All
rights reserved.
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