Microemulsion system constructed with a new cyano-functionalized ionic liquid for the extraction of Pd(II) and preparation of palladium nanoparticles

In this study, based on a cyano-functionalized ionic liquid, 1-nitrile-1-octylpyrrole bromide ([C8Y3Pr]Br), a [C8Y3Pr]Br/cyclohexane/tributyl phosphate (TBP)/NaCl microemulsion system was constructed and used for the extraction of Pd(II) and preparation of Pd nanoparticles from multimetal solutions. The key extraction parameters including vibration time, [C8Y3Pr]Br concentration, phase ratio (RW/O), and HCl concentration were evaluated. Compared with other ionic-liquid microemulsion systems, the cyano-functionalized ionic liquid [C8Y3Pr]Br microemulsion system showed excellent extraction performance for Pd(II). Almost all Pd(II) was extracted (>98.0%) from a multimetal solution using the microemulsion system, while the separation factors (βPd/M) of [C8Y3Pr]Br-based microemulsions for Pd(II) with Cu2+, Fe3+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Co2+, and Mg2+ exceeded 1.0 × 103. The mechanism extracting Pd(II) using [C8Y3Pr]Br was confirmed to be an anion-exchange reaction via Job’s method, spectral analysis (UV, FTIR), and DFT calculations. Alcohols and hydrazine hydrate were used as demulsifiers, and Pd nanoparticles were directly obtained from the microemulsion phase. The Pd nanoparticles were identified by TEM, XPS, and XRD analyses. The chemical structures of extracted species based on the microemulsion system and the mechanism of demulsification of alcohols were studied. Thus, an effective new process was developed in this study for the direct preparation of Pd nanoparticles from mixed metal solutions via solvent extraction.