Prussian blue immobilization on various filter materials through Layer-by-Layer Assembly for effective cesium adsorption

Prussian blue (PB) is well known for its excellent Cs⁺ ions adsorption capacity. Due to the high dispersibility of PB in aqueous phase, composite materials imbedding PB in supporting materials have been introduced as a solution. However, building PB particles inside porous supporting materials is still difficult, as PB particles are not fully formed and elute out to water. In this study, we suggest layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly to provide better immobilization of PB on supporting materials of poly vinyl alcohol sponge (PVA) and cellulose filter (CF). Three different PB attachment methods, ex-situ/in-situ/LBL assembly, were evaluated using PB leaching test as well as Cs⁺ adsorption test. Changes of surface functionality and morphology during PB composite preparation protocols were monitored through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that LBL assembly led to better PB attachment on supporting materials, bringing less eluting PB particles in aqueous phase compared to other synthesis methodologies, such as ex-situ and in-situ synthesis. By enhancing the stability of the adsorbent, adsorption capacity of PVA-PB with LBL improved nine times and that of CF-PB improved over 20 times.