Radioanalytical separation and size-dependent ion exchange property of micelle-directed titanium phosphate nanocomposites

Abstract

Nanocomposite titanium-phosphate (TiP) of different sizes was synthesized using Triton X-100 (poly-ethylene glycol-p-isooctylphenyl ether) surfactant. The materials were characterized by FTIR and powdered X-ray diffraction (XRD). The structural and morphological details of the material were obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy. The SEM study was followed by energy dispersive spectroscopic analysis for elemental analysis of the sample. The important peaks of the XRD spectra were analyzed to determine the probable composition of the material. The average size distribution of the particles was determined by dynamic light scattering method. Ion exchange capacity was measured for different metal ions with sizes of the TiP nanocomposite and size-dependent ion exchange property of the material was investigated thoroughly. The nanomaterial of the smallest size of around 43 nm was employed to separate carrier-free Ba-137m from Cs-137 in column chromatographic technique using 1.0 M HNO3 as eluting agent at pH 5.