Abstract:
This paper reports on the synthesis and structure elucidation of track-etched membranes
(TeMs) with electrolessly deposited copper microtubes (prepared in etched-only and oxidized
polyethylene terephthalate (PET) TeMs), as well as on the comparative testing of arsenic (III) ion
removal capacities through bath adsorption experiments. The structure and composition of composites were investigated by X-ray diffraction technique and scanning electron and atomic force
microscopies. It was determined that adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics, and the
adsorption rate constants were calculated. A comparative study of the applicability of the adsorption
models of Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich was carried out in order to describe the
experimental isotherms of the prepared composite TeMs. The constants and parameters of all of the
above equations were determined. By comparing the regression coefficients R2
, it was shown that the
Freundlich model describes the experimental data on the adsorption of arsenic through the studied
samples better than others. Free energy of As(III) adsorption on the samples was determined using
the Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm model and was found to be 17.2 and 31.6 kJ/mol for Cu/PET
and Cu/Ox_PET samples, respectively. The high EDr value observed for the Cu/Ox_PET composite
indicates that the interaction between the adsorbate and the composite is based on chemisorption.
