Graphene oxide{magnetite nanocomposite as an effcient and magnetically separable adsorbent for methylene blue removal from aqueous solution

Abstract

We report a facile method to produce a magnetically separable graphene oxide{magnetite nanocomposite (GO{Fe3O4) and its adsorption performance in methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solution. The GO{Fe3O4nanocomposite was synthesized by a solution-phase self-assembly method including the incorporation of monodisperse Fe3O4nanoparticles (NPs) and GO in a dimethylformamide/chloroform mixture under sonication. The successfully decorating GO sheet with monodisperse Fe3O4NPs was proved by TEM study. ICP{OES data of the GO{Fe3O4nanocomposite show that the GO{Fe3O4nanocomposite consists of 21 wt% Fe3O4NPs, which is suffcient for its magnetic separation from aqueous solution. The spectroscopic studies reveal that the GO{Fe3O4nanocomposite is a highly effcient adsorbent for MB removal from aqueous solution, providing an adsorption capacity of 172.6 mg/g, and the equilibrium for MB adsorption is attained in ~70 min. Moreover, it is a magnetically separable and reusable material for MB removal from water, preserving 87% of its initial effciency after 5 successive runs.