Mesoporous BaTiO₃@SBA-15 derived via solid state reaction and its excellent adsorption efficiency for the removal of hexavalent chromium from water.

We report the synthesis of a barium-titanate/mesoporous silica nanocomposite material BaTiO3@SBA-15 via aerosol assisted solid state reaction using SBA-15 as a hard template. Hexavalent chromium is one of the most harmful contaminants of industrial waste-water. We have used BaTiO3@SBA-15 nanocomposite as an adsorbent for the removal of chromium(vi)-contaminated water and it showed an adsorption capacity of 98.2 wt% within only 40 min contact time in a batch reactor. This mesoporous composite has retained this excellent adsorption efficiency of hexavalent chromium for several repetitive cycles, suggesting its future potential for the remediation of water contaminated with Cr(vi).