Synthesis of porous magnetic ferrite nanowires containing Mn and their application in water treatment

Two kinds of porous magnetic ferrite nanowires containing manganese (MnFe2O4 and Mn doped Fe3O4) have been successfully synthesized by thermal decomposition of organometallic compounds, using nitrilotriacetic acid (NA) as a chelating agent to coordinate with various ratios of Fe(II) and Mn(II) ions. The resultant MnFe2O4 and Mn doped Fe3O4 nanostructures are superparamagnetic, and have magnetization saturation values of about 45.9 and 48.7 emu g(-1) for MnFe2O4 and Mn doped Fe3O4, respectively. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller specific surface areas of the MnFe2O4 and Mn doped Fe3O4 are 37.8 and 45.4 m(2) g(-1), respectively. The as-prepared porous MnFe2O4 and Mn doped Fe3O4 nanowires exhibit excellent ability to remove heavy metal ions and organic pollutant in waste water. In addition, these porous magnetic ferrites may be useful in other fields such as biomedicine and Li-ion batteries.