Fe3O4@SiO2-BU core-shell as a new nanomagnetic gelator for oil recovery from water

Abstract

In the present study, a novel strategy is introduced for selective oil separation using durable and recyclable nanomagnetic gelator. The Fe3O4@SiO2-NH2 was prepared through the reaction of modified Fe3O4@SiO2 and 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES). Then, an effective nanomagnetic gelator was synthesized by the reaction of amine-functionalized nanoparticles with 1-(6-isocyanatohexyl)-3-octadecylurea (ODU-H-NCO). We named this efficient functionalized nanomagnetic gelator as “The Fe3O4@SiO2-BU”. It is employed a facile, versatile and low-cost approach for the fabrication of Fe3O4@SiO2-BU gelator, and investigated its gelation ability of organic solvents and oil combinations for the first time, and can be conveniently isolated by application of an external magnetic field. After the characterization of this new nanomagnetic gelator, it was successfully applied for the oil separation via gelation process. The Fe3O4@SiO2-BU exhibit efficient oil separation ability and mechanical and chemical stability, owing to the tight binding of the organic and inorganic layers on the Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles. The gelator is characterized with FT-IR, FE-SEM, VSM, XRD, and inverted microscopic techniques. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd