title: Microemulsion-assisted synthesis of hierarchical porous Ni(OH)2/SiO2 composites toward efficient removal of formaldehyde in air.
abstract: Ni(OH)2/SiO2 composites with hierarchical flake-like nanostructures were synthesized using water-in-oil microemulsion and characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The as-prepared hierarchical porous Ni(OH)2/SiO2 composites show an excellent performance for formaldehyde (HCHO) removal in air at an ambient temperature. It was found that the aging time had a significant impact on the pore structure, surface area and HCHO adsorption. The Ni(OH)2/SiO2 composite aged for 4 h in the presence of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) exhibited a relatively high HCHO adsorption capacity as well as good recyclability compared with Ni(OH)2, attributed to a relatively large BET surface area, an optimal pore size, a suitable proportion between Ni(OH)2 and SiO2, and a synergistic effect between Ni(OH)2 and SiO2. The results from this work not only demonstrate that hierarchical porous Ni(OH)2/SiO2 composites can act as an efficient adsorbent toward HCHO in air, but suggest a new route for the rational design of cost-effective, high-performance and environmentally benign adsorbents for indoor air cleanup.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, College of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zhihua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Jiaguo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Xinyang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li