As shown in Fig. 1a, the size distribution of representative single
Fe0NP was around 45e80 nm. It can be due to the eOH groups in
PEG-20000 which can slightly reduce aggregation of Fe0NPs [24].
Additionally, the micro-structure of SAC was presented in Fig. 1b. It
illustrated that the interaction between carbon particles and PE
adhesive resulted in the SAC’s porous structure and excellent stability
during the sintered process [25]. Such porosity increased the
surface area and provided the possibility to disperse Fe0NPs. As
shown in Fig. 1c and d, the Fe0NPs are deposited as a thick cluster in
an appropriate scale on the surface or internal space of SAC, which
had important meanings for its application as an adsorbent.
Generally, nanoparticles at high concentration would tend to
agglomerate so as to reduce the surface energy, which lead to larger
size and poorer disperse [26].
Additionally, through the EDS analysis, C, O and Fe elements