A facile synthesis of one-dimensional hierarchical magnetic metal silicate microtubes with enhanced adsorption performance.

One-dimensional (1D) hierarchical magnetic hollow micro/nanotubes have attracted special attention in the field of adsorption owing to their high surface area, easy separation and short mass diffusion. Here, we report a facile approach for synthesizing one-dimensional hierarchical magnetic metal silicate microtubes through an extended Stöber method, carbonization treatment and subsequent hydrothermal reaction with metal ions in an alkaline solution. The unique 1D hierarchical magnetic microtubes have a large surface area, good structural stability and high magnetic response. Benefiting from these advantages, the resultant microtubes display excellent performance as good adsorbents for bovine hemoglobin (BHb) and methylene blue (MB). Furthermore, this strategy can also be applied to prepare other 1D hierarchical magnetic metal silicate composites.