Retention of heavy metals on layered double hydroxides thin films deposited by pulsed laser deposition

Heavy metals are toxic and hazardous pollutants in the environment due to their nonbiodegradability and persistence, which can pose serious threats to living organisms. The ability of Mg-Al based layered double hydroxides (LDHs) thin films to retain heavy metals from aqueous solutions at different concentrations is a novel topic with prospects of attractive applications, such as detection of heavy metals. We report on the ability of a series of Mg-Al based layered double hydroxides thin films to detect Ni and Co cations in aqueous solutions. Uptake of heavy metals ions such as Ni2+, Co2+ from aqueous solutions was studied as function of contact time at a standard metal ion concentration. The LDHs thin films were deposited using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The different adsorption mechanisms were studied in connection with different heavy metals used as probe cations. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy were the techniques used for the investigation of as deposited and after heavy metals retention thin films. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.