Adsorption of Graphene Oxide onto Synthetic Fibers: Experimental Conditions

Comparative studies on the adsorption capacity of two synthetic fibers, polyamide (PA 66) and polyester (PET) pre-treated with N-cetylpyridinium chloride (PET-NCPCl), towards graphene oxide (GO) have been carried out. The fiber samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The results of adsorption isotherms, kinetics, and zeta potential determinations as a function of the GO concentration, pH, and temperature show that at a low pH of 2.5 and a high temperature of 323 K, almost 99 % of the 75 mg/l GO solution is adsorbed onto PA 66 and 70 % onto the PET-NCPCl fibers. The interaction should be first attributed to electrostatic forces, also the adsorption data exhibited a good fit to the Freundlich isotherm model and the free energy value of 10 kJ/mol was in the range of physical adsorption, which could suggest that the interaction is driven mainly by physical forces. Due to the increasing development of wastewater treatments based on the GO reactivity with metals and cationic contaminants, synthetic fibers coated with GO could be considered an adsorbent for environmental applications.