Synthesis of magnetic and superhydrophobic nickel nanoparticles by plasma arc discharge method, application for efficient recoverable and repeatable oil separation from oily-water

Abstract

Nowadays, the contamination of water due to oily waste is causing a serious threat to the environment. There is a need of a method that possesses a simple treatment route, low operational cost and high durability. The oil-water extractors, using magnetic-hydrophobic nanoparticles, act as an efficient method to separate the oil present in the waste water. In this study, thermal plasma system was developed which was found to be the effective and eco-friendly method for materials processing such as the production of superhydrophobic sphere-shaped nickel nanoparticles used oil/water separation process. The chemical composition, morphology and crystal structure of synthesized nanoparticles were investigated by XRD, TEMand XPS. The saturation magnetization (Ms) 45.26 emu/g, coercivity (Hc) 91.8 Oe and remanent magnetization (Mr) 6.65 emu/g of synthesized nickel nanoparticle at room temperature were investigated by using the VSM technique. Synthesized Nickel nanoparticles have high oil absorption capacity, rapid absorption rate and are ideal reusable for oil-water separation treatment. The nickel-coated sponge was found to be superhydrophobic and superoleophilic, respectively, with a water interaction angle of 150.8º for water and 0º for oil. Thus, the nanoparticles coated sponge has a separation efficiency of more than 98%, in separating both the heavy and light oils from oily-water. The separation recycling of the petrol/water mixture remained more than 96% even after 20 separation cycles.

High-Performance Supercapacitor with Plasma-Assisted AlN and Graphitic Carbon Nitride Composite Electrode

“…14 Each of these approaches has unique benefits and drawbacks, and they all result in the production of tiny particles made of pure metals, alloys, oxides, and composite materials. 15,16 Graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) is a metal-free semiconductor characterized by its layered structure, which is analogous to that of graphene. One of the defining features of g-CN is its high nitrogen content, with a carbon-to-nitrogen ratio of 3:4.…”

“…It has also gained popularity in military and space research because of its ability to improve thermo-mechanical characteristics. , Direct nitridation and carbothermal reduction nitridation of aluminum sources have all historically been used to synthesize AlN NPs. , However, these methods have several built-in limitations, such as the production of irregularly granulated powders with a wide and uneven distribution of particle sizes, the need for many processing steps, the high gas consumption, and the prolonged reaction periods that lead to subpar yield. , Different plasma processes, including RF plasma, arc plasma spray, and nontransferred arc plasma, have been used to create AlN nanoparticles to get around these restrictions . Each of these approaches has unique benefits and drawbacks, and they all result in the production of tiny particles made of pure metals, alloys, oxides, and composite materials. , …”

Fabrication of carbon-coated chromium nitride (CrN@C) and chromium oxynitride (CrON) nanoparticles by a thermal plasma technique for supercapacitor applications

“…Yugeswaran et al , 37 synthesized zirconium nitride slags from a zirconium-bearing ore (ZrSiO 4 sand) by a transferred arc thermal plasma method involving carbothermic reduction and nitridation processes in a nitrogen atmosphere. Sivakumar et al , 38 reported the preparation of magnetic superhydrophobic metallic nickel nanoparticles by the thermal plasma arc discharge method. They prepared nickel nanoparticles with spherical morphology and soft ferro-magnetic behaviors, which was used for highly durable oil–water separation applications.…”