Efficient preparation of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-graphene oxide composite and its adsorption of Congo red from aqueous solutions

In this report, a facile method is proposed for the synthesis of a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-GO composite via ionic interaction. The hydrophobicity of CTAB-GO composite is enhanced owing to the alkyl chains of CTAB, and thus, it can be readily separated from water-soluble impurities via low-speed centrifugation (3000 rpm for 3 min). The obtained CTAB-GO composite can efficiently remove the azo dye, Congo red from aqueous solutions, with an adsorption capacity as high as 2767 mg/g. Increasing the initial acidity of the solutions enhances the dye removal process. The adsorption kinetic studies reveal that the adsorption equilibrium achieves in ~60 min, and the experimental data of the adsorption of Congo red fits well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm. Furthermore, the CTAB-GO composite presents good recyclability and the adsorption capacity is greater than 2000 mg/g even at the tenth cycle.Graphical abstract

Source: Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects - July 11, 2018 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research