Superhydrophobic Nanoparticles: An Efficiently Selective Adsorbent for Surfactant ‐Like Contaminants from Complex Wastewater Matrices

Superhydrophobic polydopamine nanospheres are developed to efficiently and selectively remove surfactant-like contaminants from complex wastewater matrices. A low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LT-NMR) is conducted to offer a quantitative surface characterization approach for powder nanoparticles and elucidate insights into the interaction mechanism. AbstractSurfactant-like contaminants (SLCs) with distinctive amphiphilic structures have become a global concern in wastewater due to their toxicity and persistency. Despite extensive efforts, achieving efficient and selective SLCs removal remains challenging because of their wide range of molecular weights and complex functional group compositions. Superhydrophobic nanoparticles can potentially tackle this challenge by targeting the long oleophilic chains of SLCs. However, conventional contact angle measurements hinder hydrophobicity characterization and corresponding selectivity research because of the powder morphology of nanoparticles. Herein, the authors offered information regarding the distribution of water molecular probes in surfaces and proposed a quantitative characterization approach based on low-field nuclear magnetic resonance. Through synthesizing superhydrophobic and hydrophilic polydopamine nanospheres with similar morphologies, the selective adsorption potential of superhydrophobic nanoparticles for SLCs is systematically demonstrated. As revealed by the interaction mechanisms, the superhydrophobic surface of...
Source: Small - Category: Nanotechnology Authors: Tags: Research Article Source Type: research