Fabrication of Reusable Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Graphene Oxide Composite Aerogel with Large Surface Area for Adsorption of Methylene Blue

Abstract

A highly efficient adsorbent for methylene blue (MB) adsorption was developed by combination of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and graphene oxide (GO) via a simple one-step hydrothermal method. The as-synthesized CMC/GO composite aerogel has a mesoporous structure with an average pore diameter of 30 nm and a high specific surface area of 800.85 m2·g−1. Moreover, the CMC/GO composite aerogel demonstrates a significant selectivity for the dye adsorption, especially for MB, where its adsorption capacity can reach 244.99 mg·g−1 with an excellent recyclability for more than nine times. Thus, the prepared CMC/GO composite aerogel would be an effective adsorbent for dyes adsorption, owing to the merits of high efficiency, reusability, and eco-friendliness.

Keywords

• adsorption
• aerogel
• carboxymethyl cellulose
• graphene
• methylene blue
• reusability