A novel Sn/SnOx Ti3C2Tx nanosheet for adsorptive strontium removal in aqueous solution

•Sn/SnOx@Ti3C2Tx nanocomposites were synthesized using a modified hydrothermal method.•The synthesized Sn/SnOx@Ti3C2Tx efficiently removed Sr2+ in aqueous solution.•The Langmuir isotherm gave the best fit to the experimental adsorption data.•Surface complexation was the primary mechanism for Sr2+ adsorption onto Sn/SnOx@Ti3C2Tx. A novel Sn/SnOx@Ti3C2Tx adsorbent was fabricated via in situ growth of Sn/SnOx particles on layers of Ti3C2Tx nanosheets using facile electrostatic attraction followed by liquid-phase reduction. The characterization results demonstrated that Sn/SnOx particles were uniformly anchored onto the Ti3C2Tx surface and a sandwich-like-structured nanocomposite was formed. The introduction of Sn/SnOx particles increased the space between the Ti3C2Tx nanosheets, thereby increasing the number of active sites for Sr2+ ion removal. Moreover, the incorporated particles served as pillars to strengthen the structural stability of the Ti3C2Tx matrix and inhibited nanolayer restacking during Sr2+ion removal. Experimental results indicated that an initial strontium concentration of 5.0 mg/L was reduced to approximately 0.26 mg/L by Sn/SnOx@Ti3C2Tx within 90 min at pH 7. Furthermore, the Langmuir isotherm best fitted the adsorption data, and the maximum adsorption capacity of Sn/SnOx@Ti3C2Tx for Sr2+ ions was 71.04 mg/g at 298 K. Thus, Sn/SnOx@Ti3C2Tx nanocomposites is a promising adsorbent for the removal of Sr2+ ions from aqueous media. [Display omitted]