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Reduced graphene oxide-based hydrogels for the efficient capture of dye pollutants from aqueous solutions

2013; Elsevier BV; Volume: 56; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.carbon.2013.01.001

1873-3891

Jitendra N. Tiwari, K. Naga Mahesh, Nhien H. Le, K. Christian Kemp, Rupak Timilsina, Rajanish N. Tiwari, Kwang S. Kim,

Carbon and Quantum Dots Applications

Three dimensional (3D) reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-based hydrogels were synthesized by the reduction of graphene oxide using sodium ascorbate. During gelation, mono-, bi-, and trilayer graphene nanosheets self-assemble into a well-defined and interconnected 3D porous network through strong van der Waals and π–π interactions. The 3D RGO-based hydrogels showed a large surface area, and a uniform pore size distribution. The application of the 3D mesoporous material as an adsorbent for the removal of the organic dyes, methylene blue (MB) and rhodamine B (RhB), from aqueous solutions was investigated. The 3D RGO-based hydrogels showed excellent removal capabilities for MB (∼100%) and RhB (∼97%) due to adsorption through strong π–π stacking and anion–cation interactions. Toxicity tests show that the aqueous solutions purified by 3D RGO-based hydrogels are comparable to control experiments conducted using distilled water.