Abstract
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.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 173-182 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Carbon |
Volume | 56 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2013 |