Clew-like Cu₂O/CuO Microsphere Adsorbents for Highly Efficient Anionic Dye Removal.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Dye pollutant removal is critical for environmental remediation.
• Developing adsorbents with high selectivity and capacity is essential.
• Metal oxide nanomaterials show promise for adsorptive dye removal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize novel clew-like Cu₂O/CuO microspheres.
• To investigate their selective adsorption capabilities for dye pollutants.
• To evaluate their adsorption performance and mechanism for methyl orange.

Main Methods:

• Facile low-temperature solvothermal synthesis using cupric acetate monohydrate and ethylene glycol.
• Selective adsorption tests with anionic (methyl orange, Reactive Red 2) and cationic (methylene blue, Rhodamine B) dyes.
• Adsorption isotherm and kinetic studies using Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models.

Main Results:

• Synthesized Cu₂O/CuO microspheres demonstrated high selectivity for anionic dyes over cationic dyes.
• Maximum adsorption capacity for methyl orange reached 826.45 mg/g, surpassing existing metal oxide adsorbents.
• Adsorption behavior followed Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetics.

Conclusions:

• Clew-like Cu₂O/CuO microspheres are effective adsorbents for anionic dye removal.
• Synergistic effects including electrostatic attraction, hierarchical structure, and crystal defects contribute to high adsorption capacity.
• This work offers insights into designing high-performance adsorbents for environmental applications.