Novel Inorganic Membranes Based on Magnetite-Containing Silica Porous Glasses for Ultrafiltration: Structure and Sorption Properties

Porous glasses (PGs) obtained from sodium borosilicate (NBS) phase-separated glasses via leaching are promising inorganic membranes. Introducing Fe2O3 into NBS glasses imparts ferrimagnetic properties due to magnetite crystallization. Leaching of such glasses leads to the formation of magnetic PGs with interesting electro-surface characteristics. This work aimed to investigate the process of obtaining magnetite-containing PGs from NBS glasses depending on silica content, using XRPD and Raman spectroscopy, studying the PG membranes’ structural characteristics and their sorption properties with respect to methylene blue (MB). Obtained PGs were characterized by a polymodal distribution of mesopores and a small number of micropores with specific surface area values of 32–135 m2/g and an average mesopore diameter of 5–41 nm. The kinetic data were analyzed using pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intra-particle diffusion equations. The equilibrium isotherms were fitted with Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich models. MB adsorption was found to be a complex process. The glass with the highest specific surface area demonstrated the maximum sorption capacity (10.5 mg/g). The pore size of PGs allowed them to be considered potential novel magnetic membranes for ultrafiltration.