Preparation of magnetic Ni/wollastonite and zeolite P/Ni/wollastonite composite fibers

Magnetic composite fibers with wollastonite (WO) core and Ni shell were prepared by electroless plating using natural mineral WO fibers as supporters. Zeolite P layers were then loaded on the surface of Ni/WO fibers by in situ hydrothermal method. The sample structure and properties were characterized via SEM, XRD, SQUID, EDX, and N 2 adsorption. The compact Ni-P coatings on the surface of WO fibers resulted in good magnetic properties of the Ni/WO fibers and zeolite P/Ni/WO fibers. After two crystallization cycles, a continuous zeolite P layer could be formed on the surface of Ni-P coating. The zeolite loading improved the stability of Ni-P coating in the acid solution, resulting in that the zeolite P/Ni/WO fibers can be used at a wide pH range of 3-7. Zeolite P/Ni/WO fiber exhibited a good sorption property for Cu 2+ in the aqueous solution (12.48 mg/g) and could be reused after regeneration, indicating that it could be an effective and reusable adsorbent for metal ions from a liquid system.