title: Ultra-long Magnetic Nanochains for Highly Efficient Arsenic Removal from Water.
abstract: The contamination of drinking water with naturally occurring arsenic is a global health threat. Filters that are packed with adsorbent media with a high affinity for arsenic have been used to de-contaminate water - generally iron or aluminium oxides are favored materials. Recently, nanoparticles have been introduced as adsorbent media due to their superior efficiency compared to their bulk counter-parts. An efficient nanoadsorbent should ideally possess high surface area, be easy to synthesize, and most importantly offer a high arsenic removal capacity. Achieving all the key features in a single step synthesis is an engineering challenge. We have successfully engineered such a material in the form of nanochains synthesized via a one step flame synthesis. The ultra-long γ-Fe2O3nanochains possess high surface area (151.12 m2g-1), large saturation magnetization (77.1 emu g-1) that aids in their gas phase self-assembly into long chains in an external magnetic field, along with an extraordinary arsenic removal capacity (162 mg.g-1). A filter made with this material exhibited a relatively low-pressure drop and very little break-through of the iron oxide across the filter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
authors.forename: Gautom Kumar
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Das
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science.
authors.forename: Cecile S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Bonifacio
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616.
authors.forename: Julius
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Rojas
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: van Benthem
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
authors.forename: Ian M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Kennedy