A novel multi-hydroxyl-containing
gemini surfactant (G16) is first designed for modifying
silica precursors (SiNPs), with
the purpose of fabricating organic adsorbents targeted at methyl orange
(MO). The purity of G16 and structural character of the
resultant G16-SiNPs are unveiled through Fourier transform
infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry-derivative
thermogravimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and surface analysis
(BET). Compared with SiNPs, G16-SiNPs exhibit enhanced
hydrophobicity, enlarged interlayer spacing, and increased thermal
weight losses with the modifier availability reaching as high as 100%.
Enhanced MO adsorption is obtained from the higher adsorption capacity
of G16-SiNPs (401.88 mg/g) than SiNPs (64.72 mg/g), which
is more effective than most of the existing silica-based adsorbents.
Pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models conform to all adsorption
processes, indicating that the adsorption mainly relies on the availability
of adsorption sites and characterized by a homogeneous adsorption
form. By combining the experimental study and theoretical calculation
methods, it can be demonstrated that the as-synthesized adsorbent
G16-SiNPs own multi-active sites that contribute to multi-adsorption
mechanisms. The partition process, electrostatic interactions, and
OH−π interactions are all responsible for the adsorption
performance of G16-SiNPs. This study throws light on the
exploration of the superb MO adsorbent in aspects of not only the
novel structured modifier and precursor but also theoretical analysis
for gaining insights into the adsorption mechanism.