Functionalized graphene sheets with poly(ionic liquid)s and high adsorption capacity of anionic dyes

Weifeng Zhao, Yusheng Tang, Jia Xi, Jie Kong

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

173 Scopus citations

Abstract

Graphene sheets were covalently functionalized with poly(1-vinylimidazole) (PVI) type poly(ionic liquid), by utilizing a diazonium addition reaction and the subsequent grafting of PVI polymers onto the graphene sheet surface by a quaternarization reaction. The resultant modified graphene sheets showed improved dispersion property when being dissolved in DMF and ethanol. FTIR, XPS, XRD and TEM observations confirmed the success of the covalent functionalization, and thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the grafting ratio of PVI was ∼12 wt%. The obtained PVI-functionalized graphene showed a high capability for removing anionic dyes such as methyl blue (MB) from water solution. The experimental data of isotherm fitted well with the Langmuir adsorption model. The adsorption capacity of 1910 mg g -1 for methyl blue (MB) dye was observed for functionalized graphene sheets with poly(ionic liquid)s, which was higher than that of unmodified graphene. The high adsorption capacity observed in this study emphasizes that poly(ionic liquid)s-modified graphene materials have a great potential for water purification as they are highly efficient and stable adsorbents for sustainability.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)276-284
Number of pages9
JournalApplied Surface Science
Volume326
DOIs
StatePublished - 30 Jan 2015

Keywords

  • Dyes adsorption
  • Functionalization
  • Graphene sheets
  • Ionic liquids

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