2D and 3D graphene-based nanomaterials for environmental remediation

Abstract

Waste water treatment has become a major problem in 21st century. Dyes are the major component of the effluents released by industries. Many techniques are used today to remove dyes from water but adsorption has been considered as the best option due to ease of handling, good dye removal efficiency and low cost. The objective of this work is to explore dye adsorption capabilities of various graphene forms and see the effect of dimensionality and surface properties on their dye adsorbing capacities. Six materials were chosen for this study with 2D and 3D dimensions. Graphite, Graphene oxide(GO), reduced GO(rGO), holey rGO are considered as 2D carbon materials whereas GO hydrogel(GOH) and Holey GO hydrogel(HGOH) are considered as 3D materials. Out of these, GO outperformed others due to the cumulative effect of better electrostatic interaction, hydrogen bonding, π-π stacking and large surface area.