Abstract

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In recent years, nanocomposite materials have received much interest in nanotechnology. This new trend in nanotechnology is aimed at producing materials of unique properties. In view of this, zeolite goethite nanocomposite was synthesized to reinforce zeolite properties. Zeolite was synthesized hydrothermally from sodium aluminate, sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide at 100 oC for 24 h. The composite was synthesized using in-situ method by adding aqueous solution of the synthesized zeolite during the synthesis of goethite. The structure, morphology and surface area of the zeolite and the composite were investigated using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Brunnauer Emmet Teller (BET) surface area analyzer respectively. The FTIR spectra and SEM micrographs confirmed the formation of zeolite–goethite composite with the surface area increase from 163.491 m2/g for zeolite to 304.839 m2/g for zeolite goethite nanocomposite. It is evident that properties of zeolite can be improved upon by compositing with other materials like goethite. It can also be employed as an adsorbent for different environmental applications as revealed by the surface area.

Keywords: Zeolite; Zeolite-goethite; Nanocomposite; Characterization; Hydrothermal method