Delphine Talbot

Co(II) removal by magnetic alginate beads containing Cyanex 272

In this study, a series of batch experiments is conducted to investigate the ability of magnetic alginate beads containing Cyanex 272 to remove Co(II) ions from aqueous solutions. Equilibrium sorption experiments show a Co(II) uptake capacity of 0.4 mmol g(-1). The data are successfully modelled with a Langmuir equation. A series of kinetics experiments is then carried out and a pseudo-second order equation is used to fit the experimental data. The effect of pH on the sorption of Co(II) ions is also investigated. Desorption experiments by elution of the loaded beads with nitric acid at pH 1 show that the magnetic alginate beads could be reused without significant losses of their initial properties even after 3 adsorption-desorption cycles.

Magnetic alginate beads for Pb(II) ions removal from wastewater

A magnetic adsorbent (called magsorbent) was developed by encapsulation of magnetic functionalized nanoparticles in calcium-alginate beads. The adsorption of Pb(II) ions by these magnetic beads was studied and the effect of different parameters, such as initial concentration, contact time and solution pH value on the adsorption of Pb(II) ions was investigated. Our magsorbent was found to be efficient to adsorb Pb(II) ions and maximal adsorption capacity occurred at pH 2.3-6. The classical Langmuir model used to fit the experimental adsorption data showed a maximum sorption capacity close to 100 mg g(-1). The experimental kinetic data were well correlated with a pseudo second-order model, 50% of the Pb(II) ions were removed within 20 min and the equilibrium was attained around 100 min. Moreover our magsorbent was easily collected from aqueous media by using an external magnetic field. These results permitted to conclude that magnetic alginate beads could be efficiently used to remove heavy metals in a water treatment process.

Chitosan/maghemite composite: A magsorbent for the adsorption of methyl orange

In this study, magnetic beads were prepared by encapsulation of magnetic nanoparticles in epichlorohydrin cross-linked chitosan beads. Their adsorption characteristics were assessed by using methyl orange (MO) as an adsorbate. MO adsorption onto chitosan beads was found to be optimal in the pH range of 3-5. The adsorption isotherm was well described by the Langmuir model and showed high MO adsorption capacity (2.38 mmol/g, i.e. 779 mg/g). MO adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model, indicating that adsorption was the rate-limiting step. At 0.305 mmol/L, only 19 min was required to reach 90% adsorption and 50% of the MO was adsorbed in 2 min. Desorption studies of MO using NaOH showed the reusability of the magsorbent. No release of iron species was observed at pH>2.4.

Adsorption of a cationic surfactant by a magsorbent based on magnetic alginate beads.

Adsorption of cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC), a cationic surfactant, by magnetic alginate beads (MagAlgbeads) was investigated. The magnetic adsorbent (called magsorbent) was prepared by encapsulation of magnetic functionalized nanoparticles in an alginate gel. The influence on CPC adsorption of several parameters such as contact time, pH and initial surfactant concentration was studied. The equilibrium isotherm shows that adsorption occurs through both electrostatic interactions with charge neutralization of the carboxylate groups of the beads and hydrophobic interactions inducing the formation of surfactant aggregates in the beads. The dosage of calcium ions released in the solution turns out to be a useful tool for understanding the adsorption mechanisms. Adsorption is accompanied by a shrinking of the beads that corresponds to a 45% reduction of the volume. Adsorption kinetic experiments show that equilibrium time is strongly dependent on the surfactant concentration, which monitors the nature of the interactions. On the other hand, since the pH affects the ionization state of adsorption sites, adsorption depends on the pH solution, maximum adsorption being obtained in a large pH range (3.2-12) in agreement with the pKa value of alginate (pKa=3.4-4.2). Finally, due to the formation of micelle-like surfactants aggregates in the magnetic alginate beads, they could be used as a new efficient magsorbent for hydrophobic pollutants.

Static Magnetowetting of Ferrofluid Drops

We report results of a comprehensive study of the wetting properties of sessile drops of ferrofluid water solutions at various concentrations deposited on flat substrates and subjected to the action of permanent magnets of different sizes and strengths. The amplitude and the gradient of the magnetic field experienced by the ferrofluid are changed by varying the magnets and their distance to the surface. Magnetic forces up to 100 times the gravitational one and magnetic gradients up to 1 T/cm are achieved. A rich phenomenology is observed, ranging from flattened drops caused by the magnetic attraction to drops extended normally to the substrate because of the normal traction of the magnetic field. We find that the former effect can be conveniently described in terms of an effective Bond number that compares the effective drop attraction with the capillary force, whereas the drops vertical elongation is effectively expressed by a dimensionless number S, which compares the pressure jump at the ferrofluid interface because of the magnetization with the capillary pressure.

Regeneration of thixotropic magnetic gels studied by mechanical spectroscopy: the effect of the pH

Regeneration of thixotropic gels resulting from aggregation of positively charged magnetic nanoparticles is here investigated by mechanical spectroscopy. The frequency independence of the ratio ( and being respectively the viscous and the elastic moduli) at the gel point seen as a liquid–solid transition allows the determination of the gelation time tg and of the power law exponent on the angular frequency for both moduli (, ). This behaviour is similar to the one observed for classical chemical and physical gels. It implies a broad relaxation time spectrum which is compatible with previous dynamic magneto-optical birefringence measurements. The value of tg decreases exponentially with an increase of the pH that controls the interactions between particles through their surface density of charges. In contrast, the relaxation exponent is found to be nearly insensitive to the pH. A fractal dimension of 2.07 ± 0.06 is deduced from the power law exponent Δ at the gelation time.

Influence of a cationic surfactant on adsorption of p-nitrophenol by a magsorbent based on magnetic alginate beads.

The paper focuses on the removal of p-nitrophenol by an adsorption process. A magnetic adsorbent was synthesized by encapsulation of magnetic functionalized nanoparticles using alginate as a green biopolymer matrix. A cationic surfactant, cetylpyridinium chloride (CPyCl), was used to confer a hydrophobic character to the magnetic beads and thus to promote their adsorption efficiency. The effect of different parameters such as initial concentrations of both PNP and CPyCl, contact time and solution pH value on the adsorption of PNP in the presence of CPyCl was investigated. It should be noted that combination of magnetic and adsorption properties in a same material is an interesting challenge which could overcome the recovery problems of pollutant-loaded adsorbent.

Dynamic probing of thixotropic magnetic gels

Abstract The sol–gel transition of thixotropic magnetic gels is studied at macroscopic and mesoscopic scales by rheology and dynamic birefringence. Gelation times are, respectively, determined from small amplitude shear oscillatory measurements in the framework of Winters model and from relaxation dynamic birefringence. A fractal dimension of the thixotropic gel, near the sol–gel transition is evaluated from the rheological measurements.

Division of Ferrofluid Drops Induced by a Magnetic Field

We report a comprehensive study of the division of ferrofluid drops caused by their interaction with a permanent magnet. As the magnet gradually approaches the sessile drop, the drop deforms into a spiked cone and then divides into two daughter droplets. This process is the result of a complex interplay between the polarizing effect caused by the magnetic field and the magnetic attraction due to the field gradient. As a first attempt to describe it, during each scan we identify two characteristic distances between the magnet and the drop: zmax, corresponding to the drop reaching its maximum height, and zsaddle, corresponding to the formation of a saddle point on the drop peak identifying the beginning of the drop breakup. We have investigated the location of these two points using sessile drops of ferrofluid water solutions at various concentrations and volumes, deposited on four surfaces of different wettability. An empirical scaling law based on dimensionless variables is found to accurately describe these experimental observations. We have also measured the maximum diameter of the drops right before the division and found that it is very close to a critical size, which depends on the magnetic attraction.

Dynamics of Ferrofluid Drops on Magnetically Patterned Surfaces

The motion of liquid drops on solid surfaces is attracting a lot of attention because of its fundamental implications and wide technological applications. In this article, we present a comprehensive experimental study of the interaction between gravity-driven ferrofluid drops on very slippery oil-impregnated surfaces and a patterned magnetic field. The drop speed can be accurately tuned by the magnetic interaction, and more interestingly, drops are found to undergo a stick-slip motion whose contrast and phase can be easily tuned by changing either the strength of the magnetic field or the ferrofluid concentration. This motion is the result of the periodic modulation of the external magnetic field and can be accurately analyzed because the intrinsic pinning due to chemical defects is negligible on oil-impregnated surfaces.