Amine-functionalized cobalt ferrite nanoparticles as efficient magnetically separable adsorbents for Pb(II) and E. coli

Tergaletz, Dóra and Alberti, Orsolya and Ilosvai, Mária and Kristály, Ferenc and Daróczi, Lajos and Viskolcz, Béla and Szőri-Dorogházi, Emma and Vanyorek, László and Sikora, Emőke (2026) Amine-functionalized cobalt ferrite nanoparticles as efficient magnetically separable adsorbents for Pb(II) and E. coli. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, 17. ISSN 2045-2322

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Abstract

Amine-functionalized cobalt ferrite (CoFe2O4–NH2) nanoparticles were synthesized via a polyol-based solvothermal route and compared with non-functionalized CoFe2O4 prepared by a sonochemical–combustion method as magnetically separable adsorbents. Structural and physicochemical properties were characterized by HRTEM, SAED, XRD, FTIR, VSM, N2 and CO2 adsorption. The functionalized material formed porous spherical aggregates (51 ± 8 nm) composed of 4–8 nm crystallites, exhibiting a significantly enhanced specific surface area compared to pristine CoFe2O4. Both samples displayed ferrimagnetic behaviour with high saturation magnetization, enabling rapid magnetic separation. Adsorption studies toward Pb(II), Cd(II), and Ni(II) revealed strongly ion-dependent behaviour. Langmuir modelling yielded a maximum adsorption capacity of 86.4 ± 1.5 mg g−1 for Pb(II) on CoFe2O4–NH2, more than twice that of the non-functionalized analogue. Furthermore, CoFe2O4–NH2 achieved complete removal (100%) of Escherichia coli (102 cfu/mL) at 3–30 mg/mL and retained full efficiency after five reuse cycles. The results demonstrate that amine functionalization markedly enhances adsorption performance while preserving magnetic separability, highlighting the potential of CoFe2O4–NH2 as a multifunctional platform for water remediation.

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