Facile hydrothermal assembly of three-dimensional GO-MTZE composite and its adsorption properties toward Cu2

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2024-06, Vol.31 (27), p.39497-39513
• Main Authors: Cui, Ya-Xin, Zeng, Jin-Min, Duan, Mei-Yi, Liu, Yi-Ping, Liu, Yue-Qin, Yu, Jin-Gang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Aerogels; Aquatic Pollution; Aqueous solutions; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Cations; Chain branching; Chemical composition; Complexation; Copper; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Fourier transforms; Functional groups; Graphene; Hydrogen bonding; Hydrophobicity; Infrared spectroscopy; Metal ions; Nitrogen; Photoelectron spectroscopy; Photoelectrons; Research Article; Scanning electron microscopy; Spectrum analysis; Sulfur; Three dimensional composites; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; X ray photoelectron spectroscopy; X-ray spectroscopy
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33789-7

Three-dimensional (3D) graphene oxide (GO)-based aerogels, GO and 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol (MTZE) composites, were prepared by a facile hydrothermal method. Due to the hydrogen bonding and π-π stacking interactions, the produced 3D GO-MTZE composites possessed large cylindrical structures. The morphologies, composition, and chemical states of 3D GO-MTZE 3:1 composite were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and N 2 adsorption–desorption isotherms based on the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. The existence of nitrogen (N)-containing heterocyclic system and oxygen (O)-containing branched chain of MTZE contributed to the formation of 3D structures, while the complexation effect of heterocyclic sulfur (S)- and N-containing functional groups of MTZE for metal cations dominated the adsorption performance of 3D GO-MTZE 3:1 composite, which could selectively adsorb copper ions (Cu 2+ ). In addition, the better hydrophobic property of 3D GO-MTZE 3:1 composite facilitates its facile recycling from aqueous solution after adsorption. The adsorption data of 3D GO-MTZE 3:1 composite toward Cu 2+ fitted well ( R 2  = 0.9996) with the linear pseudo-second-order kinetic model, giving an equilibrium rate constant ( k 2 ) of 0.0187 g mg −1  min −1 . The linear Langmuir isothermal model could more accurately describe the experimental data, indicating the adsorption process is mainly dominated by the complexation interactions between MTZE and Cu 2+ . The thermodynamic parameters of Δ G ° ( 0), and Δ S ° (> 0) further indicate that the adsorption is a spontaneous and endothermic, confirming that the complexation between Cu 2+ and 3D GO-MTZE 3:1 composite occurs. Due to its high selectivity for Cu 2+ , good hydrophobicity, and excellent stability, the developed 3D GO-MTZE 3:1 composite possesses might be promisingly used in the aqueous selective enrichment/removal of Cu 2+ .