Abstract
Graphene has attracted great interest for its unique structure, fantastic properties, and wide applications. Among the various applications, graphene-based materials hold great potential as adsorbents in decontaminating water because of the large surface area, diverse functionalities, ease of preparation, and low cost of treatment. Graphene and its composites have been used in treating heavy metals, dyes, pesticide, antibiotics, oils, and so on. In this paper, we reviewed the preparation methods of graphene adsorbents and their applications in water purification. The adsorption behaviors of contaminates on graphene are summarized. The interactions between graphene and contaminates are discussed, emphasizing the influence of functional groups. We also propose some guidelines in designing high-performance graphene adsorbents from the physicochemical perspective.
About the authors
Jing Xu is an undergraduate at Southwest University for Nationalities majoring in Chemistry. She is currently under the supervision of Dr. Sheng-Tao Yang. She focuses her research on the adsorption of pollutants on graphene oxide composites.
Hongda Lv obtained his BSc in 2011 at Southwest University for Nationalities majoring in Chemistry. He became a graduate student there in the same year under the supervision of Dr. Jianbin Luo. His research is mainly on the preparation of nanomaterials.
Sheng-Tao Yang received his BSc in 2006 and his PhD in 2011 at Peking University majoring in Chemistry. He was a research scholar at Clemson University from 2008 to 2009. He also worked as a visiting scholar at Hunan University during 2011–2012. In 2011, he joined the College of Chemistry and Environment Protection Engineering, Southwest University for Nationalities in China as an Assistant Professor. He focuses his research on the preparation, applications, and biosafety of carbon nanomaterials.
Jianbin Luo obtained his BSc in 1995 and his PhD in 2006 at Sichuan University majoring in Applied Chemistry and Polymer Science, respectively. He worked as a chemical engineer in Chengda Engineering Corporation of China from 1995 to 2001. In 2006, he joined the College of Chemistry and Environment Protection Engineering, Southwest University for Nationalities in China as an Associate Professor. He did his postdoctoral research in the University of New Brunswick from 2011 to 2012. He focuses his research on the preparation and applications of polymer materials and nanocomposites.
We thank Prof. Y.-P. Sun at the Clemson University for his kind help. We acknowledge financial support from the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Southwest University for Nationalities (No. 13NZYQN14), and State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (No. 2013–24).
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