Synthesis, characterization, and adsorption properties of m-aramid and chitosan hybrid composite films with the ratio of 100/0, 85/15, 65/35, 50/50, and 35/65 toward Hg(II) ions

Preparation of a series of novel hybrid composite materials m-aramid/chitosan to extract Hg(II) ions from water was carried out by using various weight ratios of m-aramid to chitosan (100/0, 85/15, 65/35, 50/50, and 35/65, respectively). Their structures were characterized by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscope. The result of FTIR indicated that the peak intensity of chitosan increases with increasing of the content of chitosan in the tn-aramid/chitosan hybrid composite films. The adsorption properties of m-aramid/chitosan were affected by many factors including pH range, contact time, temperature, and the content of chitosan. The saturated adsorption capacity for Hg(II) ions increased with the increase of chitosan content and could reach to 0.09, 0.27, 0.43, 0.51, and 0.72 mmol.g(-1) at room temperature, respectively. The results show that the process of kinetic adsorption could be well described by the pseudo-second-order rate model. The isothermal adsorption experiments followed Langmuir and Freundlich models. Furthermore, the adsorption mechanism was also presumed.