Biocompatible HA@Fe₃ O₄ @N-CDs hybrids for detecting and absorbing lead ion

The trinary hydroxyapatite@Fe₃ O₄ @N-doped carbon dots (HA@Fe₃ O₄ @N-CDs) hybrids were prepared by one-pot hydrothermal approach and utilized to detect and remove lead ion from aqueous solution. The structures and morphologies of as-obtained nanorod-like HA@Fe₃ O₄ @N-CDs hybrids were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. These HA@Fe₃ O₄ @N-CDs hybrids possess good magnetism by magnetic hysteresis test and multi-colored fluorescence by the CLSM measurement. Furthermore, the as-obtained hybrids display excellent biocompatibility by MTT assay. Importantly, the trinary magnetic HA@Fe₃ O₄ @N-CDs hybrids as a green detector and adsorbent of Pb²⁺ were investigated. The influence of the different pH, the concentration of heavy metal, and the maximum adsorption capacity on removal efficiency was measured in detail. The maximum Pb²⁺ adsorption capacity on HA@Fe₃ O₄ @N-CDs hybrids is 450 mg/g. The kinetic mechanism was a pseudo-second order model, and the isotherm data was fitted well by the Langmuir isotherm and Freundlich model. Hence, the nanorod-like HA@Fe₃ O₄ @N-CDs hybrids could be a multifunctional material with significant potential applications in heavy metal detection and adsorption, bone tissue regeneration, magnetic therapy, and biomedicine. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2019.