Novel amorphous functional materials for trapping nitrosamines

Novel amorphous functional materials are designed to modify amorphous silica with alumina. They are first presented as efficient adsorbents to trap both volatile nitrosamines and bulky tobacco specific nitrosamines in the environment. Selective adsorption, temperature programmed surface reaction (TPSR), and FIR methods are employed to study the impact of alumina modification on the ability of silica to adsorb and catalytically degrade nitrosamines. Due to the special interaction between the N-NO group of nitrosamines and the aluminum ion in the composite, nitrosamines can be very easily trapped by the composite. Moreover, this cost-efficient material first shows a remarkable adsorptive capability and catalytic activity in reduction of NNN (N-nitrosonornicotine) in the liquid phase. The new concept of designing a multifunctional trap for carcinogenic pollutants, which combines the amorphous silica's pore structure with the specific adsorbing/catalyzing features of metal ions, proves feasible.