Adsorption of polar, nonpolar, and substituted aromatics to colloidal graphene oxide nanoparticles

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 186; pp. 226 - 233
• Main Authors: Wang, Fang, Haftka, Joris J.-H., Sinnige, Theo L., Hermens, Joop L.M., Chen, Wei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2014; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adsorption; Affinity; Applied sciences; Aromatic compounds; Aromatics; Buckminsterfullerene; Chlorobenzenes; Chlorophenols; Exact sciences and technology; Fullerenes; Global environmental pollution; Graphene; Graphene oxide nanoparticles; Graphite - chemistry; Nanoparticles - chemistry; Nanotubes, Carbon - chemistry; Oxides; Polar compounds; Pollution; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - chemistry; Surface chemistry; Aromatics; Adsorption; Polar compounds; Graphene oxide nanoparticles; Carbonaceous materials; Nanoparticle; Adsorption capacity; Polar compound; Pollution; Decontamination; Model compound; Environment; Aromatic compound; Graphene oxide; Nanostructured materials; Apolar compound; Nanotechnology; Organic compounds
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2013.12.010

We conducted batch adsorption experiments to understand the adsorptive properties of colloidal graphene oxide nanoparticles (GONPs) for a range of environmentally relevant aromatics and substituted aromatics, including model nonpolar compounds (pyrene, phenanthrene, naphthalene, and 1,3-dichlorobenzene) and model polar compounds (1-naphthol, 1-naphthylamine, 2,4-dichlorophenol, and 2,4-dinitrotoluene). GONPs exhibited strong adsorption affinities for all the test compounds, with distribution coefficients on the order of 103–106 L/kg. Adsorption to GONPs is much more linear than to carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and C60, likely because GO nanoflakes are essentially individually dispersed (rendering adsorption sites of similar adsorption energy) whereas CNT/C60 are prone to bundling/aggregation. For a given compound GONPs and CNTs often exhibit different adsorption affinities, which is attributable to the differences in both the morphology and surface chemistry between the two nanomaterials. Particularly, the high surface O-content of GONPs enables strong H-bonding and Lewis acid–base interactions with hydroxyl- and amino-substituted aromatics.
•Graphene oxide nanoparticles (GONPs) exhibit strong adsorption for aromatics.•GONPs show distinctly different adsorption properties than other carbon particles.•Unique surface chemistry and morphology control adsorption properties of GONPs.•Adsorption is relatively linear because GO nanoflakes are individually dispersed.•High surface O-content enables strong H-bonding and Lewis acid–base interactions.
Colloidal graphene oxide nanoparticles exhibit strong adsorption affinities and characteristic adsorption properties for environmentally relevant aromatics and substituted aromatics.