Morphological structures of the cellulose hybrids containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane and their application for removing C.I. Reactive Red 250

Cellulose hybrids containing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) were synthesized by crosslinking reaction. The chemical and morphological structures of the hybrids were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectrum, scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscope. The hybrids were used for adsorbing C.I. Reactive Red 250 in aqueous solution. Adsorption kinetic and equilibrium isotherm of the cellulose hybrids for the dye were investigated. The hybrids formed new adsorptive positions for dyes because of a nanometer-sized cubic core and numerous organic functional groups (-C-N-). The adsorption capacity of the hybrid materials was significantly higher than that of the control cellulose. The adsorption of the dye on the hybrids was good fit with Langmuir isotherm equation and the second-order model. The apparent activation energy of the dye on the hybrid was 14.87 kJ/mol.