Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as a new class of solvents with low cost and enhanced biodegradability. The most common class of DES refers to a mixture of a quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salt and a hydrogen bond donor (e.g., carboxylic acid) with melting point lower than that of individual components. DESs have recently shown promise for surface modification of graphene oxide (GO) with different functional groups. We will discuss two studies – (i) use of DES for synthesizing new graphene-metal nanohybrids for adsorption based pollutant removal; and (ii) use of DES for nano-functionalized nanofiltration membranes for high water flux and high selective dye desalination. For the first project, we conjugated Fe3O4 nanoparticles and GO nanosheets using DES as coupling agent to prepare magnetic nanohybrids. Physicochemical characterization not only confirmed the ability of DES to successfully prepare DES/GO-Fe3O4 nanohybrids, but also evidenced the influence of DES on the homogeneity and size distribution of Fe3O4 nanoparticles in these nanohybrids. DES/GO-Fe3O4 nanohybrids can perform better than both GO and Fe3O4 as adsorbents for organic dyes (methylene blue, MB) and heavy metals (Lead (II)). However, depending on the contaminant type, the contaminant removal performance varied differently for DES/GO-Fe3O4 nanohybrids with different ratios. For the second project, we modified ultrafiltration membrane by DES-functionalized GO. The effect of functionalization time on the water flux, dye and salt rejections, and physical and chemical properties of the obtained membranes were studied. Results indicated that the functionalized GO membranes (F-GO) could provide very high water flux, about 4-6 times of the GO nanofiltration membrane, while keeping high dye rejection (~99% for Congo Red, Direct Red, and Evan Blue). Furthermore, F-GO membrane showed lower rejection towards Na2SO4 salts indicating the successful engineering of the channel size achieved by the functionalization to provide a membrane with high water flux, high dye rejection and low salt rejection that is the best for achieving satisfactory dye recovery.

Green solvent for nano-enabled water treatment

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.