Removal of Cu2+ by Nanotubes
Thereafter, the TiO2 nanotube stock solution was washed, filtered and homogenized. In order to prepare the 4 experimental solutions, 7.0 ml of TiO2 from the stock solution of 28.76 g/L was obtained and mixed with 4 varying dosages of Cu2+ (0.0 ml, 0.2 ml, 2.0 ml and 20.0 ml from a 1000 mg/L stock solution of Cu(NO3)2) respectively. The mixtures were then diluted to have a total volume of 200ml. The resultant concentration of TiO2 nanotubes in all 4 of the prepared solutions were 1.0 g/L and the concentrations of the varying Cu2+ dosages in the mixtures were 0.0 mg/L, 1.0 mg/L, 10.0 mg/L and 100.0 mg/L respectively. The 4 solutions were then placed on a mechanical shaker for 1 day so as to allow the Cu2+, heavy metal ions, to be adsorbed onto the OH- groups on the TiO2 nanotubes. Subsequently, the concentration of Cu2+ present in the solutions are measured using the ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy) so as to calculate the amount of Cu2+ ions that was adsorbed by the TiO2 nanotubes, with reference to the standard ICP graph for Cu2+ concentrations.