Thermosensitive Microgels-Decorated Magnetic Graphene Oxides for

5 days ago - Herein, we report a novel type of smart graphene oxide nanocomposites (MGO@PNB) with excellent magnetism and high thermosensitive ...
0 downloads 0 Views 5MB Size
This is an open access article published under an ACS AuthorChoice License, which permits copying and redistribution of the article or any adaptations for non-commercial purposes.

Article Cite This: ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

http://pubs.acs.org/journal/acsodf

Thermosensitive Microgels-Decorated Magnetic Graphene Oxides for Specific Recognition and Adsorption of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solution Liting Pan,† Guanzhong Zhai,† Xiaorong Yang, Hairong Yu,* and Changjing Cheng* College of Chemistry and Environment Protection Engineering, Southwest Minzu University, No. 16 South Section 4, Yihuan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P. R. China

Downloaded via 37.9.41.137 on February 23, 2019 at 07:30:05 (UTC). See https://pubs.acs.org/sharingguidelines for options on how to legitimately share published articles.

S Supporting Information *

ABSTRACT: Herein, we report a novel type of smart graphene oxide nanocomposites (MGO@PNB) with excellent magnetism and high thermosensitive ion-recognition selectivity of lead ions (Pb2+). The MGO@PNB are fabricated by immobilizing superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-benzo-18-crown-6 acrylamide) thermosensitive microgels (PNB) onto graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets using a simple one-step solvothermal method and musselinspired polydopamine chemistry. The PNB are composed of cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) chains with numerous appended 18-crown-6 units. The 18-crown-6 units serve as hosts that can selectively recognize and capture Pb2+ from aqueous solution, and the PNIPAM chains act as a microenvironmental actuator for the inclusion constants of 18crown-6/Pb2+ host−guest complexes. The loaded Fe3O4 NPs endow the MGO@PNB with convenient magnetic separability. The fabricated MGO@PNB demonstrate remarkably high ion-recognition selectivity of Pb2+ among the coexisting metal ions because of the formation of stable 18-crown-6/Pb2+ inclusion complexes. Most interestingly, the MGO@PNB show excellent thermosensitive adsorption ability toward Pb2+ due to the incorporation of PNIPAM functional chains on the GO. Further thermodynamic studies indicate that the adsorption of Pb2+ onto the MGO@ PNB is a spontaneous and endothermic process. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm data can be well described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. Most importantly, the Pb2+-loaded MGO@ PNB can be more easily regenerated by alternatively washing with hot/cold water than the commonly used regeneration methods. Such multifunctional graphene oxide nanocomposites could be used for specific recognition and removal of Pb2+ from water environment.

1. INTRODUCTION Lead is one of the most common heavy metals, which is widely used in modern industries, including storage batteries, painting pigments, ammunitions, textiles and steels, etc.1−3 Lead ions (Pb2+) are usually delivered in soil and water body along with industrial wastewater and can accumulate in the human body through food chains or drinking water, thus causing serious effects on human health and environment.4−7 Even a very low level of lead intake can bring about permanent damage to the central nerve system, immune system, brain, and kidneys,1−7 especially to children’s intellectual development.8−10 Therefore, effective recognition and removal of Pb2+ from aqueous environment is of vital importance, and there is a great scientific significance for water treatment.1 To date, a variety of technologies have been developed to identify and remove Pb2+ from water environment, such as precipitation, ion exchange, solvent extraction, membrane process, and adsorption.3,11−18 By contrast, adsorption is a competitive approach because of its easy operation, high efficiency, and low cost.3,12−14,19−22 The key of this technology is to develop high-performance adsorbents. Traditional adsorbents for Pb2+ recognition and © 2019 American Chemical Society

removal have some drawbacks, such as lack of selectivity and sensitivity, tedious operational process, and low efficiency, which have restricted their wide applications. Therefore, to develop high-performance adsorbent materials for specific recognition and removal of Pb2+ from water environment is highly desired. Various kinds of functional materials, including hydrogelbased devices, gating membranes, and porous nanomaterials, have been recently developed for specific recognition and removal of Pb2+ from water.11,23−28 Among those materials, 18-crown-6, possessing remarkably high selectivity and sensitivity toward Pb2+ by forming stable 1:1 (18-crown-6/ Pb2+) inclusion complexes, provides a novel strategy to specifically discriminate and remove Pb2+ from aqueous solution.11,26−30 For example, novel Pb2+-imprinted crown ether (Pb(II)-IIP) particles were synthesized by using Pb2+ as template and 4-vinylbenzo-18-crown-6 as a functional Received: December 17, 2018 Accepted: January 24, 2019 Published: February 21, 2019 3933

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

Figure 1. Schematic illustration of the thermosensitive adsorption and separation of Pb2+ from aqueous solution by MGO@PNB. (a) Pendent 18crown-6 units on the PNB microgels can capture Pb2+ ions by forming stable charged 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes, which cause the volume phasetransition temperature (VPTT) of PNB to shift positively from a low-temperature VPTT1 to a higher-temperature VPTT2 because of the enhancement of hydrophilicity of the polymer chains and the repulsion among the charged 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes. (b, c) As the operating temperature (T2) is set between VPTT1 and VPTT2, the PNB isothermally change from a shrunken state to a swollen one by recognizing Pb2+ in aqueous solution. As a result, Pb2+ are easily captured by 18-crown-6 units and removed from the water as the ambient temperature is kept at a certain value below VPTT2. (d) After the complexes of 18-crown-6 and the captured Pb2+ reach saturation on the MGO@PNB, the Pb2+recognized MGO@PNB can be easily isolated from water under an external magnet. (e) PNB become shrunken and hydrophobic as the operating temperature is increased to T3 above the VPTT2. This causes the desorption of Pb2+ from the 18-crown-6 units because of the thermo-induced reduction in inclusion constants between 18-crown-6 and the captured Pb2+. (f) Separation of Pb2+ from the aqueous solution and the regeneration of MGO@PNB can be achieved by simply varying the operating temperature and applying an external magnetic field.

monomer to specifically recognize and remove Pb2+ from environmental water.26 Several Pb2+-responsive smart materials were also developed to detect and remove Pb2+ from aqueous solution by incorporating 18-crown-6 units into poly(Nisopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) polymers.11,27,28,31 PNIPAM, a well-known thermosensitive polymer, can experience dramatic swelling/shrinking conformational changes as environmental temperature is changed across its lower critical solution temperature (LCST) around 32 °C. More importantly, those Pb2+-responsive smart materials can be facilely regenerated by raising the ambient temperature above the LCST of PNIPAM chains, which results in the desorption of Pb2+ from the cavity of crown ether. Although those crown ether-based smart materials can selectively identify and remove Pb2+ from aqueous solution, most of these processes are sophisticated and have low efficiency. Magnetic graphene oxide (MGO) typically obtained by depositing some superparamagnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) onto the graphene oxide (GO)32−34 is an excellent adsorption material due to its large

specific surface area, high stability, abundant oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface, and convenient magnetic separability.35−43 But it cannot be utilized in specific recognition and removal of Pb2+ from aqueous environment because of the lack of ion-recognized sites on the surface, which limits its practical applications to some extent. Incorporating some smart materials, such as 18-crown-6 with high ion-recognition selectivity44 and PNIPAM with excellent thermosensitivity, into MGO to fabricate smart nanocomposites could address the above-mentioned problems. Herein, we report a novel type of smart graphene oxide nanocomposites (MGO@PNB) with excellent magnetism and highly thermoresponsive ion-recognition selectivity of Pb2+ based on the host−guest interactions of 18-crown-6 and Pb2+. The MGO@PNB are fabricated by immobilizing superparamagnetic Fe3O4 NPs and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-benzo-18-crown-6 acrylamide) thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-benzo-18-crown-6 acrylamide) (PNB) microgels onto the graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets 3934

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

Figure 2. Schematic illustration of the fabrication of MGO@PNB. (a) MGO are prepared by a one-step solvothermal method. (b) PNB are synthesized by a simple precipitation copolymerization method by using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and acrylamide-modified benzo-18crown-6 (B18C6Am) as the functional monomers. (c) PNB are immobilized onto the MGO via self-polymerization of bio-adhesive dopamine (DA) at a weak alkaline condition (pH 8.5).

induced reduction in inclusion constants between 18-crown-6 and the captured Pb2+ (Figure 1e).11,45,46 That is to say, the recognition and separation of Pb2+ from the aqueous solution and the regeneration of MGO@PNB can be easily achieved by simply varying the operating temperature and applying an external magnetic field (Figure 1f). The detailed fabrication process of MGO@PNB is shown in Figure 2. First, MGO are prepared by a versatile one-step solvothermal method (Figure 2a).47−50 Then, PNB are synthesized by a simple precipitation copolymerization method using N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and acrylamidemodified benzo-18-crown-6 (B18C6Am) as the functional monomers (Figure 2b).51 The PNB are immobilized onto the MGO via self-polymerization of bio-adhesive dopamine (DA) at a weak alkaline condition (pH 8.5, Figure 2c), finally causing the formation of [email protected]−56 Since DA is a biomolecule with plentiful catechol and amine functional groups and can easily self-polymerize into polydopamine (PDA) under weak alkaline conditions, these multifunctional PDA layers endow strong adhesion onto a wide range of substrates. The unique property of PDA provides an effective strategy to immobilize PNB onto the MGO.52−56 Compared to the current technologies, the suggested separation process by using such smart graphene nanocomposites is facilely operated and environmentally friendly, which shows great potentials in specific recognition and removal of Pb2+ from water environment.

using the simple one-step solvothermal method and musselinspired polydopamine chemistry. The PNB are composed of cross-linked PNIPAM chains with numerous appended 18crown-6 units, which serve as host receptors to specifically recognize and capture Pb2+ from aqueous solution. The PNIPAM chains act as a microenvironmental actuator for the inclusion constants of 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes. The proposed concept of the thermosensitive adsorption and separation of Pb2+ from aqueous solution by MGO@PNB is schematically illustrated in Figure 1. When Pb2+ ions appear in aqueous solution, the pendent 18-crown-6 units can capture them by forming stable charged 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes. This will cause the volume phase-transition temperature (VPTT) of PNB to shift positively from a low-temperature VPTT1 to a higher-temperature VPTT2 because of the enhancement of hydrophilicity of the polymer chains and the repulsion among the charged 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes (Figure 1a).11,28,44 As the operating temperature (T2) is set between VPTT1 and VPTT2, the PNB isothermally change from a shrunken state to a swollen one by recognizing Pb2+ in aqueous solution. As a result, Pb2+ are easily captured by 18crown-6 units and removed from the water as the ambient temperature is kept at a certain value below VPTT2 (Figure 1b,c). After the complexes of 18-crown-6 and the captured Pb2+ reach saturation on the MGO@PNB, the Pb2+-recognized MGO@PNB can be easily isolated from water under an external magnet (Figure 1c,d). Afterward, the PNB become shrunken and hydrophobic as the operating temperature is increased to T3 above the VPTT2. This causes the desorption of Pb2+ from the 18-crown-6 units because of the thermo3935

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

Figure 3. Typical TEM images of MGO (a) and MGO@PNB (b). (c) Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra of MGO, MGO@PNB, and PNB. (d) TG curves of MGO and MGO@PNB. (e) Magnetization hysteresis loops of MGO and MGO@PNB at room temperature. The insets show the dispersion (a′) and separation (b′) behaviors of MGO@PNB in the absence and presence of an external magnetic field in water.

peak of CO stretching vibrations at 1648 cm−1 from PNIPAM are all found in the FT-IR spectra of [email protected] Meanwhile, the peaks of benzo-18-crown-6, including a strong peak at 1521 cm−1 (shoulder peak) for CC skeletal stretching vibration in the phenyl ring, a peak at 1230 cm−1 for C−O asymmetric stretching vibration in Ar−O−R groups,51 and a peak at 1128 cm−1 for C−O symmetric stretching vibration in R−O−R groups, are also observed in the FT-IR spectra of MGO@PNB, indicating the successful fabrication of MGO@PNB. The thermal properties of MGO and MGO@PNB are shown in Figure 3d. For MGO, the first weight loss at temperature below about 350 °C is attributed to the evaporation of the physically adsorbed water onto the MGO, and the second mass loss from 350 to 600 °C is due to the decomposition of −COOH, −OH, and C−O−C groups from GO and PSSMA molecules covalently bound onto the MGO.50 Compared to the TG curve of MGO, the MGO@PNB demonstrate a weight loss of 44.80 wt % due to the decomposition of PNB and PDA thin layer onto the MGO. The immobilization amount of PNB onto the MGO is calculated to be about 295.1 mg/g on the basis of the TGA results, which shows again the successful fabrication of MGO@ PNB. The loaded Fe3O4 NPs onto the MGO@PNB enable the functional nanocomposites with convenient magnetic separability from contaminated aqueous solution. The magnetization hysteresis loops of the MGO and MGO@PNB at room temperature are shown in Figure 3e. The hysteresis and

2. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 2.1. Materials Characterizations. The typical TEM images of MGO and MGO@PNB are shown in Figure 3a,b. Compared to the MGO, the MGO@PNB show a dramatically different microstructure. They have a crumpled and flakelike structure, and the GO nanosheets are loaded with black Fe3O4 NPs with an average size of about 80 nm, which endows the MGO@PNB with excellent magnetic separability. After depositing of PNB onto the MGO, grayish PNB microgels with good sphericity and monodispersity are observed on the MGO. The morphological and microstructural changes of nanocomposites indicate the successful immobilization of PNB onto the MGO, thus resulting in the formation of MGO@ PNB. The successful fabrication of MGO@PNB is also confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy. Figure 3c shows the FT-IR spectra of MGO, MGO@PNB, and PNB. The characteristic peaks of GO at 1043 cm−1 for the C−O−C stretching vibration in epoxy group and at 1724 cm−1 for the CO stretching vibration of −COOH groups are all found in the FT-IR spectrum of MGO. Moreover, the characteristic peaks at 592 cm−1 for the Fe−O stretching vibration, the asymmetric stretching vibrations of −SO3− groups at 1213 cm−1, and the CO asymmetric stretching vibrations of COO− in PSSMA at 1407 and 1581 cm−1 are also observed, indicating a successful anchoring of Fe3O4 NPs and PSSMA molecules onto the GO.47−50 After immobilizing PNB onto the MGO, the typical double peaks at 1363 and 1392 cm−1 for isopropyl group and the characteristic 3936

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

dramatically thermosensitive volume phase changes in Pb2+ aqueous solutions as the environmental operating temperature is varied across its VPTT due to the excellent thermosensitivity of PNIPAM chains. Therefore, verification of the Pb2+ adsorption and the regeneration of functional nanocomposites can be easily achieved by simply changing the operating temperature, and the thermosensitive adsorption of Pb2+ onto the MGO@PNB is investigated at three typical temperatures (25, 45, and 65 °C) and the results are shown in Figure 5a. The equilibrium adsorption of Pb2+ onto the MGO@PNB at 25 °C (lower than the VPTT value of PNB) is much higher than that at 45 °C (slightly higher than the VPTT value of PNB) and 65 °C (higher than the VPTT value of PNB). This indicates that the thermosensitivity of PNIPAM chains onto the MGO@PNB affects the interactions between the 18crown-6 units and Pb2+. Such dramatic thermo-induced reduction in adsorption capacities of Pb2+ onto the MGO@ PNB is mainly due to the decrease of the inclusion constant of 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes as the environmental operating temperature is increased.11,45,46,58 As the environmental operating temperature is set at 25 °C, the PNIPAM chains are swollen and the inclusion constants of 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes are large, which is beneficial for 18-crown-6 units to capture Pb2+ from aqueous solution and form stable 18-crown6/Pb2+ inclusion complexes, thus leading to higher adsorption capacities of MGO@PNB toward Pb2+. However, as the environmental operating temperature is increased above the VPTT value of PNB, the PNIPAM chains are shrunken and the inclusion constants of 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes decrease. As a result, part of captured Pb2+ release from the cavities of 18-crown-6 units, causing decrease of adsorption capacities of Pb2+. Therefore, the MGO@PNB can be conveniently regenerated by simply raising the environmental temperature. By contrast, the equilibrium adsorption capacities of Pb2+ onto MGO@PN and MGO at 25 °C are much lower than those of MGO@PNB since MGO@PN and MGO cannot form 18-crown-6/Pb2+ inclusion complexes with Pb2+ due to the absence of crown ether units. Moreover, the equilibrium adsorption capacity of Pb2+ onto the MGO at 25 °C is almost the same as that at 45 and 65 °C, showing no thermosensitive adsorption ability of MGO toward Pb2+, while the equilibrium adsorption capacity of Pb2+ onto the MGO@PN at 25 °C is slightly higher than those at 45 and 65 °C because of the presence of thermosensitive PNIPAM chains onto the MGO@ PN. To further investigate the adsorption mechanisms of Pb2+ onto the functional nanocomposites, the thermodynamic parameters for the adsorption process, such as free-energy change (ΔG), enthalpy change (ΔH), and entropy change (ΔS), which provide in-depth information about internal energy changes that are associated with adsorption, were calculated by the following van’t Hoff equations:59−61

coercivity are almost undetectable when the applied magnetic field is removed, indicating high superparamagnetism of the MGO and MGO@PNB. Therefore, these functional nanocomposites will not aggregate by retaining any magnetism, and will be redispersed rapidly after removing the external magnet (Figure 3a′, inset). The magnetization saturation (Ms) values of the MGO and MGO@PNB are 34.9 and 15.9 emu/g, respectively. The obvious decrease of the Ms value is due to the existence of nonmagnetic organic substances, including PNB and PDA layer on the MGO. However, the MGO@PNB still demonstrate excellent magnetic responsiveness and can be completely isolated from the aqueous solution under an external magnetic field within 2 min, and then redispersed in water by slight shaking (Figure 3b′, inset). Such excellent magnetism of the MGO@PNB facilitates good recycling of the functional nanocomposites from water. 2.2. Theremoresponsive Property and Pb2+-Recognized Responsive Behaviors of PNB. The thermosensitive shrunken behaviors of PNB microgels in water and Pb2+ aqueous solution (20 mmol/L) are shown in Figure 4. As

Figure 4. Temperature-dependent shrunken behaviors of PNB in water and 20 mmol/L Pb2+ aqueous solution.

expected, PNB in both water and Pb2+ aqueous solution undergo rapid size decrease as the environmental temperature is varied across a corresponding temperature region due to the excellent thermosensitivity of PNIPAM chains. The volume phase-transition temperature (VPTT) of PNB in water is around 33 °C, consistent with the VPTT of pure PNIPAM microgels (∼32 °C).51 By contrast, the hydrodynamic diameters of PNB decrease dramatically at higher temperatures in Pb2+ aqueous solution upon increasing the temperature. The VPTT of PNB in Pb2+ aqueous solution shifts obviously to a higher temperature (∼41 °C) compared to that in water, showing an evident Pb2+-recognized responsive property. Such a dramatically positive shift of VPTT for PNB in Pb2+ aqueous solution is due to the enhancement of hydrophilicity of the copolymer and the repulsion interactions among the charged 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes.11,28,57 That is to say, PNB can isothermally change from a shrunken state to a swollen one in the presence of Pb2+ as the ambient temperature is set at a certain value between the two VPTTs of microgels in water and Pb2+ aqueous solution. 2.3. Thermosensitive Adsorption and Thermodynamic Study of Pb2+ by MGO@PNB. As observed in Figure 4, the PNB microgels immobilized onto the MGO@PNB exhibit

ln KL =

ΔS ΔH − R RT

ΔG = ΔH − T ΔS

(1) (2)

where KL is the Langmuir constant, R is the gas constant (8.314 J/(mol K)), and T is the temperature (K). The enthalpy change is obtained by calculating the slope of a plot of ln KL versus T−1 (Figure 5b−d), and the thermodynamic parameters obtained at three different temperatures are listed 3937

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

Figure 5. (a) Thermosensitive adsorption of Pb2+ onto the MGO, MGO@PN, and MGO@PNB at 25, 45, and 65 °C. van’t Hoff plots for adsorption of Pb2+ onto the MGO (b), MGO@PN (c), and MGO@PNB (d). The initial concentration of Pb2+ and the dosage of adsorbents were 50 and 1.5 mg/mL, respectively.

in Table 1. The negative values of ΔG indicate that the adsorption processes of Pb2+ onto these functional nano-

2.4. Thermosensitive Ion-Recognition Selectivity of MGO@PNB. To evaluate the ion-recognition selectivity of MGO@PNB toward specific metal ions, the Pb2+ adsorption experiments at different temperatures in mixed metal ions solutions as a simulate-contaminated wastewater containing some common coexisting ions, such as Pb2+, Cr3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+, are investigated and the results are shown in Figure 6. The adsorption ability of MGO@PNB toward Pb2+ at 25 °C is much higher than that at 45 and 65 °C. This is due to that a much larger inclusion constant of 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes benefited from the swollen PNIPAM chains while the operating temperature (25 °C) is lower than the VPTT value of PNB, which is consistent with the results in Figure 5a. Most interestingly, the MGO@PNB with 18-crown-6 units exhibit much higher adsorption ability toward Pb2+, and the equilibrium adsorption capacity of Pb2+ at 25 °C is almost 7 times higher than that of the other metal ions. The significant difference in the adsorption capacities of different metal ions onto the MGO@PNB is mainly due to the selective formation of crown-ether/metal-ion inclusion complexes between 18crown-6 units and the suitable metal ions, which is dominated by the size/shape fitting or matching effects between the host (crown ether receptor) and the guest (metal ions).44,46,57,62 MGO@PNB are capable of specifically and selectively capturing Pb2+ from the mixed metal-ion solutions to form stable 18-crown-6/Pb2+ inclusion complexes. This remarkably increases the adsorption capacity of MGO@PNB toward

Table 1. Thermodynamic Parameters for the Adsorption of Pb2+ onto MGO, MGO@PN, and MGO@PNB at Different Temperatures adsorbent MGO

MGO@PN

MGO@PNB

T (K)

ln KL

ΔG (kJ/mol)

ΔH (kJ/mol)

ΔS (J/(mol K))

298.15 318.15 338.15 298.15 318.15 338.15 298.15 318.15 338.15

2.57 2.59 2.63 2.60 2.75 3.22 1.06 2.38 2.74

−6.37 −6.88 −7.38 −6.30 −7.60 −8.89 −2.94 −5.53 −8.12

1.14

25.21

12.96

64.61

35.64

129.42

composites are feasible and spontaneous.59−61 The more negative value of ΔG with the decrease of temperature indicates that lower temperature would be beneficial for the adsorption. The negative values of slope or the positive values of ΔH suggest the endothermic adsorption processes, and the positive values of ΔS reflect the increased randomness at the solid−liquid interface during the adsorption of Pb2+ onto those functional nanocomposites.59−61 3938

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

Figure 6. Specific recognition and adsorption of Pb2+ onto MGO (a), MGO@PN (b), and MGO@PNB (c) in mixed metal-ion solutions containing Pb2+, Cr3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+ at different temperatures. The initial concentration of these metal ions and the dosage of functional nanocomposites were 25 and 2.0 mg/mL, respectively.

Pb2+.11,28,44,57 By contrast, the metal ions, such as Cr3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+, cannot form inclusion complexes with 18-crown-6 units because of unfit or unmatched size/ shape,44,57 thus resulting in small adsorption capacities of Cr3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+ onto the MGO@PNB. Therefore, these metal ions cannot be effectively recognized and removed by MGO@PNB. As a comparison, MGO and MGO@PN without 18-crown-6 units demonstrate low adsorption abilities toward all of the metal ions at all setting temperatures. The adsorption capacities are much lower than that of MGO@PNB because of no crown ether units on the MGO to form complexes with metal ions. The metal ions in solutions can only interact with −COO− groups on the MGO via electrostatic attractions, thus exhibiting very low adsorption ability toward metal ions.63 2.5. Effect of Contact Time and Adsorption Kinetics. Since adsorption kinetics that describes the solute uptake rate and the mechanism of adsorption is one of the important characteristics defining the adsorption efficiency and contact time of the adsorption interaction, the effect of contact time on the adsorption of Pb2+ onto MGO and MGO@PNB was studied. As is shown in Figure 7, the adsorption capacities of Pb2+ onto both MGO and MGO@PNB increase quickly with increasing contact time within the first 4 min and then rise

slowly until the adsorption reaches equilibrium after 20 min, suggesting that the prepared MGO@PNB have rapid adsorption abilities toward Pb2+. The initial high adsorption rate may be ascribed to the abundant active sites on the particle surface. On the basis of the above result, a contact time of 20 min was adopted for the subsequent adsorption studies. To further investigate the mechanism of the adsorption processes, the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models are used to fit the experimental data.18,64,65 These two kinetic models can be expressed in linear forms as follows: ln(qe − qt) = ln qe − k1t

(3)

t 1 t = + 2 qt qe k 2qe

(4) 2+

where qe and qt are the adsorption capacities of Pb at equilibrium state and at any time t, respectively, and k1 and k2 represent the rate constants of pseudo-first-order and pseudosecond-order models, respectively. The fitting of the pseudofirst-order and pseudo-second-order models can be checked by plotting ln(qe − qt) against t and t/qt against t (Supporting Information Figure S1) by the linear regression analysis, respectively. And the values of qe and rate constants (k1 and k2) can be determined from the intercept and slope of the linear plots. The corresponding adsorption kinetic parameters of these two kinetic models, including correlation coefficients (R2), k1, k2, and the calculated qe,cal values, are displayed in Table 2. It can be observed that the qe,cal value of the MGO@ PNB calculated through the pseudo-second-order model (11.60 mg/g) is much closer to the experimental qe (11.67 mg/g). Besides, R2 (0.9978) of the pseudo-second-order model for MGO@PNB is slightly higher than that of the pseudo-first-order model (0.9932), indicating that the adsorption process follows the pseudo-second-order model rather than the pseudo-first-order model. Therefore, it can be deduced that the Pb2+ adsorption onto the MGO@PNB involves all of the steps of adsorption, including external film diffusion, chemisorption, and internal particle diffusion.18,64,65 Furthermore, the chemisorption between the metal ions and binding sites of adsorbent, which is the main rate-limiting factor and controlled by the supramolecular host−guest interaction of 18-crown-6 toward Pb2+ in this system, dominates the Pb2+ adsorption process of [email protected],63

Figure 7. Effect of contact time on adsorption of Pb2+ onto MGO and MGO@PNB. The initial concentration of Pb2+ and the dosage of functional nanocomposites were 50 and 1.5 mg/mL, respectively. 3939

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

Table 2. Adsorption Kinetic Parameters of MGO and MGO@PNB toward Pb2+ at 25 °C pseudo-first-order model

pseudo-second-order model

adsorbent

qe,exp (mg/g)

qe,cal (mg/g)

k1

R2

qe,cal (mg/g)

k2

R2

MGO MGO@PNB

3.35 11.67

1.01 4.59

0.317 0.202

0.9836 0.9932

3.39 11.60

1.101 0.197

0.9994 0.9978

2.6. Effect of Initial Ion Concentrations and Adsorption Isotherms. Figure 8 shows the effect of initial ion

Figure 9. Adsorption isotherms of Pb2+ by MGO and MGO@PNB. The dosage of nanocomposites was 1.5 mg/mL, and the operation temperature was 25 °C. Figure 8. Effect of initial ion concentration on the adsorption of Pb2+ onto MGO and MGO@PNB. The dosage of functional nanocomposites was 1.5 mg/mL, and the operation temperature was 25 °C.

the multilayer of the adsorption process occurs on a heterogeneous adsorption surface.18,66 These two isotherm models can be expressed in linear forms by the following equations

concentrations on the adsorption of Pb2+ onto MGO and MGO@PNB. The Pb2+ adsorption are highly dependent on the initial ion concentrations and increase with increasing initial Pb2+ concentrations due to excessive active sites available on the adsorbent, which can interact with the relatively insufficient Pb2+ ions in solution. Because the Pb2+ ions in bulk solution are surplus, only parts of them can interact with finite active sites on the adsorbent, thus causing a flat increase until arriving at saturation adsorption at higher ion concentrations. By contrast, the adsorption capacity of Pb2+ onto the MGO is much lower than that of MGO@PNB due to the absence of crown ether units, leading to the inability to form stable 18-crown-6/Pb2+ inclusion complexes. The equilibrium adsorption isotherm can provide some important information about the surface properties of adsorbents, the adsorption behaviors, and the design of adsorption systems, which reflects the relationship between the amount of adsorbate uptaken by the adsorbents and the concentration of adsorbate remaining in solution when the adsorption process reaches equilibrium.18,66 Figure 9 shows the adsorption isotherms of Pb2+ by MGO and MGO@PNB. The adsorption capacities of Pb2+ onto MGO and MGO@PNB increase initially and then gradually reach saturation adsorption. To make a further investigation on both the adsorption mechanism and affinity of the adsorbent, the experimental equilibrium data of Pb2+ adsorption onto MGO and MGO@PNB at pH 5.0 and 25 °C are fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models.18,66 The Langmuir isotherm model is often applicable that the adsorption is localized on a monolayer and occurs on a homogeneous surface with all of the adsorption sites having equal adsorbate affinity, whereas the Freundlich isotherm model presumes that

Langiur model Ce qe

=

1 qmKL

+

Ce qm

Freundlich model 1 ln qe = n ln Ce + ln KF

(5)

(6)

where qe and qm (mg/g) are the equilibrium and maximum adsorption capacities of the adsorbent, respectively; Ce (mg/L) is the equilibrium solution concentration of Pb2+; KL (L/mg) represents the Langmuir constant, which relates to the affinity of the binding sites; and KF and n are the Freundlich constants that represent the adsorption capacity and adsorption intensity, respectively. On the basis of the above equations, the values of qm and KL for the Langmuir model can be determined from the slope and intercept of the linear plot of Ce/qe versus Ce, whereas the values of KF and 1/n for the Freundlich model can be determined from the slope and intercept of the linear plot of ln qe versus ln Ce (Supporting Information Figure S2). The relevant parameters calculated from the Langmuir and Freundlich models are listed in Table 3. The correlation coefficients of MGO@PNB (R2 = 0.9893) and MGO (R2 = 0.9945) obtained from the Langmuir isotherm model are very close to 1 and much higher than those from the Freundlich isotherm model, indicating that the Langmuir isotherm fits better with the experimental adsorption data. Besides, the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity (qmax) values for MGO@PNB and MGO calculated from the Langmuir isotherm are 11.76 and 3.66 mg/g, respectively, which are all in accordance with the experimental values (11.82 and 3.70 mg/g, respectively). This suggests again that the Pb 2+ 3940

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

Table 3. Langmuir and Freundlich Isotherm Parameters for Pb2+ Adsorption by MGO and MGO@PNB at 25 °C Langmuir model

Freundlich model

adsorbent

qmax (mg/g)

KL (L/mg)

RL

R2

n

KF

R2

MGO MGO@PNB

3.66 11.76

0.199 0.149

0.201−0.334 0.283−0.441

0.9954 0.9893

3.786 2.800

1.350 3.256

0.7879 0.7966

indicating that the as-fabricated MGO@PNB have excellent recyclability. Compared to the commonly used regeneration methods using strong acid and/or strong base or inorganic salt solutions through repeated ultrasonication,16,18−22,67−69 the proposed strategy for the regeneration of MGO@PNB herein is not only much simpler but also more environmentally friendly. We also compare the adsorption performances of the MGO@PNB toward Pb2+ with the traditional adsorbents reported recently,16,18−22,67 and the results are listed in Table 4. Although those traditional adsorbents show higher

adsorption onto MGO@PNB and MGO is a monolayer adsorption and follows the Langmuir isotherm. Moreover, the essential feature of the Langmuir isotherm can be expressed in terms of a dimensionless constant separation factor (RL), which is used to evaluate the feasibility of adsorption onto an adsorbent.59 The RL can be calculated by the following equation: 1 RL = 1 + C0KL (7) where C0 (mg/L) is the initial ion concentrations in aqueous solution and KL (L/mg) is the Langmuir constant. The value of RL indicates the type of the isotherm to be unfavorable (RL > 1), linear (RL = 1), favorable (0 < RL < 1), or irreversible (RL = 0).59 The RL values of Pb2+ adsorption onto MGO@PNB and MGO ranged from 0.201 to 0.441, indicating that the Pb2+ adsorption onto MGO@PNB and MGO is a favorable process. 2.7. Regeneration of MGO@PNB. The regeneration and recycling of an adsorbent is very important for its practical applications. As shown in Figure 3e, the Fe3O4 NPs loaded on the MGO@PNB endow them with convenient separability from aqueous solution under an external magnetic field. Thus, the regeneration of Pb2+-loaded MGO@PNB can be easily implemented by using a magnet and then flushing alternatively with hot water (70 °C) and cold water (25 °C). The Pb2+ adsorption/desorption from the MGO@PNB are performed for six successive cycles, and the results are shown in Figure 10.

Table 4. Comparison of Pb2+ Adsorption on Various Adsorbents qmax (mg/g)

regeneration method

sludge-derived biochar

30.88

16

mango peel waste

97.07

washing with HCit, EDTA, and HCl washing with HCI washing with HCI washing with Na2EDTA washing with NaOH washing NaOH and HCl washing with HNO3 washing with hot/cold water

22

adsorbent

phosphorylated magnetic chitosan composite magnetic anaerobic granule sludge/chitosan composite magnetic hydroxypropyl Chitosan/oxidized multiwalled CNTs graphenes magnetic material

151.06

poly(AMPSG/AAc/NVP/HEMA) hydrogel MGO@PNB

22.73

97.97 101.10 27.95

11.76

refs

18 19 20 21

67 this study

adsorption capacities for single-lead ion system than the MGO@PNB developed in this work, they have some evident drawbacks, such as lack of ion selectivity and sensitivity of Pb2+, operational complexity, and environmental unfriendliness upon regenerating those adsorbents. This limits the practical applications of these materials to some degree. By contrast, the as-prepared MGO@PNB demonstrate highly thermosensitive ion-recognition selectivity of Pb2+ among the coexisting metal ions. Most importantly, the Pb2+-loaded MGO@PNB can be easily regenerated by alternatively washing with hot/cold water instead of using strong acids, strong bases, and/or inorganic salt solutions,16,18−22,67 which is much simpler and environmentally friendly compared to the commonly regenerated techniques of adsorbents. And the low adsorption capacity of MGO@PNB toward Pb2+ is because the incorporation amount of crown ether units on the functional graphene nanocomposites is not high. Further studies on improving the adsorption capacity of Pb2+ are being carried out by our group. Besides, to further investigate the chemical stability of the MGO@PNB, the degree of iron leaching into the aqueous solution was measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after each adsorption/regeneration

Figure 10. Adsorption and desorption ability of MGO@PNB toward Pb2+ in six successive cycles. The initial Pb2+ concentration and the dosage of nanocomposites were 50 and 1.5 mg/mL, respectively.

The desorption capacities of Pb2+-loaded MGO@PNB are slightly lower than the adsorption capacities for each cycle. This is due to that some parts of Pb2+ adsorbed on the MGO@ PNB cannot desorb from the cavities of crown ether during the regeneration process and the amount of MGO@PNB would also incur loss during the washing process. However, the Pb2+ adsorption capacities of MGO@PNB at 25 °C only lose about 20% after six successive adsorption/desorption cycles, 3941

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

Table 5. Measured and Calculated Values of Iron Leaching for Magnetic MGO@PNB measured values after each cycle (μg/L) 1

2

3

4

5

calculated value (μg/L)

9.68 ± 1.37

9.55 ± 0.17

9.06 ± 2.06

10.52 ± 0.64

8.11 ± 0.03

≤11.20

process mentioned above.70 The measured and calculated values of iron leaching from MGO@PNB are listed in Table 5. The theoretical value is calculated to be ≤11.20 μg/L since the content of iron impurity is ≤0.00002% for HNO3, which is used to adjust the pH value of aqueous solutions, whereas the measured value in aqueous solution after each regeneration cycle is in the range of 8.11−10.52 μg/L, indicating the excellent chemical stability of the MGO@PNB. All of those results indicate that the developed MGO@PNB herein can be used for specific recognition and removal of Pb2+ from aqueous environment.

(MBA), sodium acetate (NaAc), and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) were obtained from Chengdu Kelong Chemicals, and AIBN was recrystallized with ethanol before use. All other chemicals were of analytical grade and used as received. Deionized water (18.2 MΩ, 25 °C) from a Milli-Q plus purification system (Millipore) was used throughout the experiments. 4.2. Synthesis of MGO@PNB. MGO@PNB were fabricated by immobilizing PNB onto MGO using the adhesion property of DA under weak alkaline condition (pH = 8.5).52−55 MGO and PNB were synthesized according to refs47−51. The detailed synthesis process is shown in the Supporting Information. 4.3. Characterizations. The morphologies and microstructures of functional nanocomposites were observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM, JEM-2010, JEOL, Japan) at an accelerating voltage of 120 kV. Samples dispersed at an appropriate concentration were dropped onto a carboncoated Cu grid, followed by air drying. The chemical structures and compositions of functional nanocomposites were characterized by a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer (IR 200, Thermo Nicolet). The hydrodynamic sizes of PNB were tested by a dynamic light scattering (DLS) instrument (Zetasizer Nano-ZS, Malvern Instruments, UK) with a scattering angle of 90°. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the functional nanocomposites was performed on a Mettler TGA/SDTA851e° (Switzerland) at a heating rate of 5 °C/min from 20 to 650 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere. The magnetism of functional nanocomposites was measured by a vibrating sample magnetometer on a model 6000 physical property measurement system (Quantum Design). The stabilities of functional nanocomposites during adsorption processes were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, Thermo Fisher). 4.4. Adsorption Experiments. To study the thermosensitive adsorption behaviors and the adsorption thermodynamics of MGO@PNB toward metal ions, three typical operating temperatures, including 25 °C (lower than the VPTT of PNB), 45 °C (slightly higher than the VPTT of PNB), and 65 °C (higher than the VPTT of PNB), were chosen as the investigated temperatures. In detail, 15 mg of MGO@PNB (or MGO) was added in the preheated vials contained 10 mL of Pb2+ solutions at 25 °C. The initial Pb2+ concentration was 50 mg/L, and the pH values were adjusted to 5.0 with a negligible volume of 10 wt % HNO3. Then, the vials were sealed and placed in a thermostatic shaker at different temperatures (25, 45, and 65 °C) and shaken under 150 rpm for 20 min to ensure reaching adsorption equilibrium. After that, the metal ions-loaded MGO@PNB were separated with a magnet and the supernatant was drawn out and filtrated with a 0.22 μm micropore membrane to ensure the safe use of subsequent analytical instrument. The Pb2+ concentrations before and after interaction with functional nanocomposites were analyzed by ICP-MS. Besides, the blank aqueous solutions without adding MGO@PNB were also conducted at each stage of the experiment.

3. CONCLUSIONS In summary, a novel type of smart graphene oxide nanocomposites (MGO@PNB) with excellent magnetism and highly thermosensitive ion-recognition selectivity of Pb2+ has been successfully developed by immobilizing superparamagnetic Fe3O4 NPs and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-benzo-18crown-6 acrylamide) thermosensitive microgels (PNB) onto the GO using simple one-step solvothermal method and mussel-inspired polydopamine chemistry. The PNB are composed of cross-linked PNIPAM chains with numerous appended 18-crown-6 units. The 18-crown-6 units can selectively recognize and capture Pb2+ in aqueous solution, and the PNIPAM chains serve as a microenvironmental actuator for the inclusion constants of 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes. The loaded Fe3O4 NPs endow the MGO@PNB with convenient magnetic separability. The resulted MGO@ PNB demonstrate high ion-recognition selectivity of Pb2+ among the coexisting metal ions, including Cr3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+, by forming stable 18-crown-6/Pb2+ inclusion complexes and the excellent thermosensitive adsorption ability toward Pb2+ due to the incorporation of PNIPAM functional chains on the MGO. The adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic and fits well with the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir isotherm model. Most importantly, the Pb2+-loaded MGO@PNB can be easily regenerated by alternatively washing with hot/cold water. Such multifunctional graphene nanocomposites developed herein have great potentials in specific recognition and removal of Pb2+ from water environment. 4. EXPERIMENTAL SECTION 4.1. Materials. N-Isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) was purchased from Tokyo Chemical Industry and purified by recrystallization with a mixture of hexane and acetone (50/50, v/v). Benzo-18-crown-6 acrylamide (B18C6Am) was synthesized from 4-nitro-benzo-18-crown-6 (NB18C6, Sigma-Aldrich) according to ref 26. Graphene oxide (GO) was prepared from graphite powders (325 mesh, Qingdao Huatai Lubricating & Sealing Tech. Co., Ltd.) according to refs47−50. Poly(4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid, SS/MA = 3:1) sodium salt (PSSMA, Mw =20 000), tris(hydroxymethyl) methylaminomethane (THAM), and dopamine hydrochloride (DA) were purchased from Aladdin Chemicals. 2,2′Azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), N,N′-methylenediacrylamide 3942

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

Author Contributions

The ion selectivity of MGO@PNB was investigated by batch adsorption experiments at a fixed pH value in mixtures of metal ions containing Pb2+, Cr3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+. The initial concentrations of these metal ions and pH values in aqueous solutions were all 25 mg/L and 5.0, respectively. Then, 20 mg of MGO@PNB was added in vials that contained 10 mL of the aforementioned metal ions solutions. The vials were sealed and vibrated in a thermostatic shaker under 150 rpm at different temperatures (25, 45, and 65 °C) for 20 min, and the concentrations of Pb2+, Cr3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+ before and after interaction with the functional nanocomposites were measured with ICP-MS. To confirm that the ion selectivity of the MGO@PNB toward Pb2+ was due to the formation of 18-crown-6/Pb2+ complexes, the PNBfree MGO and the crown ether units-free MGO@PN were used to interact with the metal ions solutions with the same procedure as described above. The adsorption kinetics were studied by batch adsorption experiments with 15 mg of MGO@PNB and an initial Pb2+ concentration of 50 mg/L at 25 °C and pH 5.0 to evaluate the minimum contact time required for reaching adsorption equilibrium. Aqueous samples after interaction with functional nanocomposites were measured at determined time intervals. To study the effect of initial ion concentrations on the adsorption of Pb2+, 15 mg of MGO@PNB was added in vials that contained 10 mL of Pb2+ solutions with different concentrations ranging from 0 to 70 mg/L. To assess the regeneration performance of the MGO@PNB, desorption experiments were carried out by increasing the operating temperature and washing with deionized water in a thermostatic shaker for 10 h; then, the magnetically collected MGO@ PNB were washed alternately with hot/cold water several times, and then used for the next cycle. The adsorption/ desorption capacities of Pb2+ were tested in the same way as described above. The equilibrium adsorption capacities of functional nanocomposites toward metal ions (qe, mg/g) were calculated from the following equation: qe = (C0 − Ce) × V /m



L.P. and G.Z. contributed equally to this work.

Notes

The authors declare no competing financial interest.



ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21676219), the Sichuan Province Science and Technology Support Program (2016GZ0280), and the China Scholarship Council Program (201800850002). L.-T. Pan acknowledges the support of the Innovative Research Program for Students of Southwest Minzu University (CX2017SZ008).



(8)

where C0 and Ce are the initial and equilibrium concentrations (mg/L) of Pb2+ in solution, respectively; qe is the amount of Pb2+ adsorbed onto the MGO@PNB (mg/g) after equilibrium, V is the volume of metal-ion solutions (L), and m is the mass of functional nanocomposites (g). All of the adsorption experiments were performed at least thrice.



ASSOCIATED CONTENT

S Supporting Information *

The Supporting Information is available free of charge on the ACS Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539. Synthesis of MGO, PNB, and MGO@PNB; fitting of pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models; and fitting of Langmuir and Freundlich models for Pb2+ adsorption (PDF)



REFERENCES

(1) Kim, H. N.; Ren, W. X.; Kim, J. S.; Yoon, J. Fluorescent and colorimetric sensors for detection of lead, cadmium, and mercury ions. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2012, 41, 3210−3244. (2) Madadrang, C. J.; Kim, H. Y.; Gao, G. H.; Wang, N.; Zhu, J.; Feng, H.; Gorring, M.; Kasner, M. L.; Hou, S. F. Adsorption behavior of EDTA-graphene oxide for Pb (II) removal. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2012, 4, 1186−1193. (3) Ge, F.; Li, M. M.; Ye, H.; Zhao, B. X. Effective removal of heavy metal ions Cd2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, Cu2+ from aqueous solution by polymermodified magnetic nanoparticles. J. Hazard. Mater. 2012, 211-212, 366−372. (4) Li, T.; Dong, S. J.; Wang, E. A lead(II)-driven DNA molecular device for turn-on fluorescence detection of lead(II) ion with high selectivity and sensitivity. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 13156−13157. (5) Verstraeten, S. V.; Aimo, L.; Oteiza, P. I. Aluminium and lead: molecular mechanisms of brain toxicity. Arch. Toxicol. 2008, 82, 789− 802. (6) Nordberg, G. F.; Fowler, B. A.; Nordberg, M.; Friberg, L. T. Handbook on the Toxicology of Metals, 3rd ed.; Academic Press: Amsterdam, Boston, 2007. (7) Thompson, K. H.; Orvig, C. Boon and bane of metal ions in medicine. Science 2003, 300, 936−939. (8) Tang, S. R.; Tong, P.; Li, H.; Tang, J.; Zhang, L. Ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of Pb2+ based on rolling circle amplification and quantum dotstagging. Biosens. Bioelectron. 2013, 42, 608−611. (9) Toscano, C. D.; Guilarte, T. R. Lead neurotoxicity: from exposure to molecular effects. Brain Res. Rev. 2005, 49, 529−554. (10) Guilarte, T. R.; Toscano, C. D.; McGlothan, J. L.; Weaver, S. A. Environmental enrichment reverses cognitive and molecular deficits induced by developmental lead exposure. Ann. Neurol. 2003, 53, 50− 56. (11) Liu, Z.; Luo, F.; Ju, X. J.; Xie, R.; Sun, Y. M.; Wang, W.; Chu, L. Y. Gating membranes for water treatment: detection and removal of trace Pb2+ ions based on molecular recognition and polymer phase transition. J. Mater. Chem. A 2013, 1, 9659−9671. (12) Wang, Z. Y.; Liu, G. C.; Zheng, H.; Li, F. M.; Ngo, H. H.; Guo, W. S.; Liu, C.; Chen, L.; Xing, B. S. Investigating the mechanisms of biochar’s removal of lead from solution. Bioresour. Technol. 2015, 177, 308−317. (13) Xue, Y. W.; Gao, B.; Yao, Y.; Inyang, M.; Zhang, M.; Zimmerman, A. R.; Ro, K. S. Hydrogen peroxide modification enhances the ability of biochar (hydrochar) produced from hydrothermal carbonization of peanut hull to remove aqueous heavy metals: batch and column tests. Chem. Eng. J. 2012, 200− 202, 673−680. (14) Nurchi, V. M.; Villaescusa, I. Agricultural biomasses as sorbents of some trace metals. Coord. Chem. Rev. 2008, 252, 1178−1188. (15) Al-Rashdi, B. A. M.; Johnson, D. J.; Hilal, N. Removal of heavy metal ions by nanofiltration. Desalination 2013, 315, 2−17. (16) Lu, H. L.; Zhang, W. H.; Yang, Y. X.; Huang, X. F.; Wang, S. Z.; Qiu, R. L. Relative distribution of Pb2+ sorption mechanisms by sludge-derived biochar. Water Res. 2012, 46, 854−862.

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Corresponding Authors

*E-mail: [email protected] (H.Y.). *E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +86-028-85522792 (C.C.). 3943

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

(17) Zhang, X.; Lin, S.; Chen, Z. L.; Megharaj, M.; Naidu, R. Kaolinite-supported nanoscale zero-valent iron for removal of Pb2+ from aqueous solution: reactivity, characterization and mechanism. Water Res. 2011, 45, 3481−3488. (18) Iqbal, M.; Saeed, A.; Zafar, S. I. FTIR spectrophotometry, kinetics and adsorption isotherms modeling, ion exchange, and EDX analysis for understanding the mechanism of Cd2+ and Pb2+ removal by mango peel waste. J. Hazard. Mater. 2009, 164, 161−171. (19) Wu, D.; Wang, Y.; Li, Y.; Wei, Q.; Hu, L.; Yan, T.; Feng, R.; Yan, L.; Du, B. Phosphorylated chitosan/CoFe2O4 composite for the efficient removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solution: adsorption performance and mechanism studies. J. Mol. Liq. 2019, 277, 181−188. (20) Liu, T.; Han, X.; Wang, Y.; Yan, L.; Du, B.; Wei, Q.; Wei, D. Magnetic chitosan/anaerobic granular sludge composite: synthesis, characterization and application in heavy metal ions removal. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2017, 508, 405−414. (21) Wang, Y.; Shi, L.; Gao, L.; Wei, Q.; Cui, L.; Hu, L.; Yan, L.; Du, B. The removal of lead ions from aqueous solution by using magnetic hydroxypropyl chitosan/oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes composites. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2015, 451, 7−14. (22) Guo, X.; Du, B.; Wei, Q.; Yang, J.; Hu, L.; Yan, L.; Xu, W. Synthesis of amino functionalized magnetic graphenes composite material and its application to remove Cr(VI), Pb(II), Hg(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II) from contaminated water. J. Hazard. Mater. 2014, 278, 211−220. (23) Hu, J.; Liu, S. Y. Engineering responsive polymer building blocks with host-guest molecular recognition for functional applications. Acc. Chem. Res. 2014, 47, 2084−2095. (24) Otis, F.; Auger, M.; Voyer, N. Exploiting peptide nanostructures to construct functional artificial ion channels. Acc. Chem. Res. 2013, 46, 2934−2943. (25) Li, W. L.; Gu, Q. Y.; Su, F. F.; Sun, Y. H.; Sun, G. B.; Ma, S. L.; Yang, X. J. Intercalation of azamacrocyclic crown ether into layered rare-earth hydroxide (LRH): secondary host-guest reaction and efficient heavy metal removal. Inorg. Chem. 2013, 52, 14010−14017. (26) Luo, X. B.; Liu, L. L.; Deng, F.; Luo, S. L. Novel ion-imprinted polymer using crown ether as a functional monomer for selective removal of Pb(II) ions in real environmental water samples. J. Mater. Chem. A 2013, 1, 8280−8286. (27) Liu, Y. M.; Ju, X. J.; Xin, Y.; Zheng, W. C.; Wang, W.; Wei, J.; Xie, R.; Liu, Z.; Chu, L. Y. A novel smart microsphere with magnetic core and ion-recognizable shell for Pb2+ adsorption and separation. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2014, 6, 9530−9542. (28) Ju, X. J.; Zhang, S. B.; Zhou, M. Y.; Xie, R.; Yang, L.; Chu, L. Y. Novel heavy-metal adsorption material: ion-recognition P(NIPAM-coBCAm) hydrogels for removal of lead(II) ions. J. Hazard. Mater. 2009, 167, 114−118. (29) Yu, H. R.; Hu, J. Q.; Lu, X. H.; Ju, X. J.; Liu, Z.; Xie, R.; Wang, W.; Chu, L. Y. Insights into the effects of 2:1 “sandwich-type” crownether/metal-ion complexes in responsive host-guest systems. J. Phys. Chem. B 2015, 119, 1696−1705. (30) Parra, E. J.; Blondeau, P.; Crespo, G. A.; Rius, F. X. An effective nanostructured assembly for ion-selective electrodes. An ionophore covalently linked to carbon nanotubes for Pb2+ determination. Chem. Commun. 2011, 47, 2438−2440. (31) Lin, S.; Wang, W.; Ju, X. J.; Xie, R.; Liu, Z.; Yu, H. R.; Zhang, C.; Chu, L. Y. Ultrasensitive microchip based on smart microgel for real-time online detection of trace threat analytes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2016, 113, 2023−2028. (32) Xing, B.; Zhu, W.; Zheng, X.; Zhu, Y.; Wei, Q.; Wu, D. Electrochemiluminescence immunosensor based on quenching effect of SiO2@PDA on SnO2/rGO/Au NPs-luminol for insulin detection. Sens. Actuators, B 2018, 265, 403−411. (33) Ren, X.; Zhang, T.; Wu, D.; Yan, T.; Pang, X.; Du, B.; Lou, W.; Wei, Q. Increased electrocatalyzed performance through high content potassium doped graphene matrix and aptamer tri infinite amplification labels strategy: highly sensitive for matrix metalloproteinases-2 detection. Biosens. Bioelectron. 2017, 94, 694−700.

(34) Ren, X.; Ma, H.; Zhang, T.; Zhang, Y.; Yan, T.; Du, B.; Wei, Q. Sulfur-doped graphene-based immunological biosensing platform for multianalysis of cancer biomarkers. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2017, 9, 37637−37644. (35) Sherlala, A. I. A.; Raman, A. A. A.; Bello, M. M.; Asghar, A. A review of the applications of organo-functionalized magnetic graphene oxide nanocomposites for heavy metal adsorption. Chemosphere 2018, 193, 1004−1017. (36) Cui, L. M.; Wang, Y. G.; Gao, L.; Hu, L. H.; Yan, L. G.; Wei, Q.; Du, B. EDTA functionalized magnetic graphene oxide for removal of Pb(II), Hg(II) and Cu(II) in water treatment: adsorption mechanism and separation property. Chem. Eng. J. 2015, 281, 1−10. (37) Cui, L. M.; Guo, X. Y.; Wei, Q.; Wang, Y. G.; Gao, L.; Yan, L. G.; Yan, T.; Du, B. Removal of mercury and methylene blue from aqueous solution by xanthate functionalized magnetic graphene oxide: sorption kinetic and uptake mechanism. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2015, 439, 112−120. (38) Deng, J. H.; Zhang, X. R.; Zeng, G. M.; Gong, J. L.; Niu, Q. Y.; Liang, J. Simultaneous removal of Cd(II) and ionic dyes from aqueous solution using magnetic graphene oxide nanocomposite as an adsorbent. Chem. Eng. J. 2013, 226, 189−200. (39) Tang, Q.; Zhou, Z.; Chen, Z. F. Graphene-related nanomaterials: tuning properties by functionalization. Nanoscale 2013, 5, 4541−4583. (40) Chandra, V.; Park, J.; Chun, Y.; Lee, J. W.; Hwang, I.-C.; Kim, K. S. Water-dispersible magnetite-reduced graphene oxide composites for arsenic removal. ACS Nano 2010, 4, 3979−3986. (41) Guo, S. J.; Dong, S. J. Graphene nanosheet: synthesis, molecular engineering, thin film, hybrids, and energy and analytical applications. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2011, 40, 2644−2672. (42) Yang, L.; Zhu, W.; Ren, X.; Khan, M. S.; Zhang, Y.; Du, B.; Wei, Q. Macroporous graphene capped Fe3O4 for amplified electrochemiluminescence immunosensing of carcinoembryonic antigen detection based on CeO2@TiO2. Biosens. Bioelectron. 2017, 91, 842−848. (43) Yang, L.; Li, Y.; Zhang, Y.; Fan, D.; Pang, X.; Wei, Q.; Du, B. 3D nanostructured palladium-functionalized graphene-aerogel-supported Fe3O4 for enhanced Ru(bpy)32+-based electrochemiluminescent immunosensing of prostate specific antigen. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2017, 9, 35260−35267. (44) Izatt, R. M.; Pawlak, K.; Bradshaw, J. S.; Bruening, R. L. Thermodynamic and kinetic data for macrocycle interactions with cations and anions. Chem. Rev. 1991, 91, 1721−2085. (45) Ito, T.; Sato, Y.; Yamaguchi, T.; Nakao, S. -i. Response mechanism of a molecular recognition ion gating membrane. Macromolecules 2004, 37, 3407−3414. (46) Ito, T.; Hioki, T.; Yamaguchi, T.; Shinbo, T.; Nakao, S.-i.; Kimura, S. Development of a molecular recognition ion gating membrane and estimation of its pore size control. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 7840−7846. (47) Sun, H. M.; Cao, L. Y.; Lu, L. H. Magnetite/reduced graphene oxide nanocomposites: one step solvothermal synthesis and use as a novel platform for removal of dye pollutants. Nano Res. 2011, 4, 550− 562. (48) Ai, L. H.; Zhang, C. Y.; Chen, Z. L. Removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution by a solvothermal-synthesized graphene/ magnetite composite. J. Hazard. Mater. 2011, 192, 1515−1524. (49) Zhou, K. F.; Zhu, Y. H.; Yang, X. L.; Li, C. Z. One-pot preparation of graphene/Fe3O4 composites by a solvothermal reaction. New J. Chem. 2010, 34, 2950−2955. (50) Yang, X. R.; Song, X. D.; Zhu, H. Y.; Cheng, C. J.; Yu, H. R.; Zhang, H. H. Novel smart polymer-brush-modified magnetic graphene oxide for highly efficient chiral recognition and enantioseparation of tryptophan enantiomers. ACS Appl. Bio. Mater. 2018, 1, 1074−1083. (51) Jiang, M. Y.; Ju, X. J.; Fang, L.; Liu, Z.; Yu, H. R.; Jiang, L.; Wang, W.; Xie, R.; Chen, Q.; Chu, L. Y. A novel, smart microsphere with K+-induced shrinking and aggregating properties based on a 3944

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945

ACS Omega

Article

responsive host-guest system. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2014, 6, 19405−19415. (52) Zhu, Q.; Pan, Q. M. Mussel-inspired direct immobilization of nanoparticles and application for oil-water separation. ACS Nano 2014, 8, 1402−1409. (53) Liu, X. S.; Cao, J. M.; Li, H.; Li, J. Y.; Jin, Q.; Ren, K. F.; Ji, J. Mussel-inspired polydopamine: a biocompatible and ultrastable coating for nanoparticles in vivo. ACS Nano 2013, 7, 9384−9395. (54) Lynge, M. E.; van der Westen, R.; Postma, A.; Stadler, B. Polydopamine-a nature-inspired polymer coating for biomedical science. Nanoscale 2011, 3, 4916−4928. (55) Lee, H.; Dellatore, S. M.; Miller, W. M.; Messersmith, P. B. Mussel-inspired surface chemistry for multifunctional coatings. Science 2007, 318, 426−430. (56) Dreyer, D. R.; Miller, D. J.; Freeman, B. D.; Paul, D. R.; Bielawski, C. W. Elucidating the structure of poly(dopamine). Langmuir 2012, 28, 6428−6435. (57) Zhang, B.; Ju, X. J.; Xie, R.; Liu, Z.; Pi, S. W.; Chu, L. Y. Comprehensive effects of metal ions on responsive characteristics of P(NIPAM-co-B18C6Am). J. Phys. Chem. B 2012, 116, 5527−5536. (58) Liu, Z.; Luo, F.; Ju, X. J.; Xie, R.; Luo, T.; Sun, Y. M.; Chu, L. Y. Positively K+-responsive membranes with functional gates driven by host-guest molecular recognition. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2012, 22, 4742− 4750. (59) Fu, J.; Chen, Z.; Wang, M.; Liu, S.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, J.; Han, R.; Xu, Q. Adsorption of methylene blue by a high-efficiency adsorbent (polydopamine microspheres): kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics and mechanism analysis. Chem. Eng. J. 2015, 259, 53−61. (60) Xu, J.; Wang, L.; Zhu, Y. Decontamination of bisphenol A from aqueous solution by graphene adsorption. Langmuir 2012, 28, 8418− 8425. (61) Xin, X.; Wei, Q.; Yang, J.; Yan, L.; Feng, R.; Chen, G.; Du, B.; Li, H. Highly efficient removal of heavy metal ions by aminefunctionalized mesoporous Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Chem. Eng. J. 2012, 184, 132−140. (62) Hay, B. P.; Rustad, J. R.; Hostetlert, C. J. Quantitative structure-stability relationship for potassium ion complexation by crown ethers. A molecular mechanics and ab initio study. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, 115, 11158−11164. (63) Song, Y. B.; Song, X. D.; Cheng, C. J.; Zhao, Z. G. Poly(4styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid)-sodium-modified magnetic reduced graphene oxide for enhanced adsorption performance toward cationic dyes. RSC Adv. 2015, 5, 87030−87042. (64) Ho, Y. S. Review of second-order models for adsorption systems. J. Hazard. Mater. 2006, 136, 681−689. (65) Ho, Y. S.; McKay, G. The kinetics of sorption of divalent metal ions onto sphagnum moss peat. Water Res. 2000, 34, 735−742. (66) Liu, Q.-S.; Zheng, T.; Wang, P.; Jiang, J.-P.; Li, N. Adsorption isotherm, kinetic and mechanism studies of some substituted phenols on activated carbon fibers. Chem. Eng. J. 2010, 157, 348−356. (67) Yetimoğlu, E. K.; Fırlak, M.; Kahraman, M. V.; Deniz, S. Removal of Pb2+ and Cd2+ ions from aqueous solutions using guanidine modified hydrogels. Polym. Adv. Technol. 2011, 22, 612− 619. (68) Wu, D.; Hu, L.; Wang, Y.; Wei, Q.; Yan, L.; Yan, T.; Li, Y.; Du, B. EDTA modified β-cyclodextrin/chitosan for rapid removal of Pb(II) and acid red from aqueous solution. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2018, 523, 56−64. (69) Wang, Y.; Hu, L.; Zhang, G.; Yan, T.; Yan, L.; Wei, Q.; Du, B. Removal of Pb(II) and methylene blue from aqueous solution by magnetic hydroxyapatite-immobilized oxidized multi-walled carbon nanotubes. J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2017, 494, 380−388. (70) Pi, S. S.; Li, A.; Wei, W.; Feng, L.; Zhang, G. S.; Chen, T.; Zhou, X.; Sun, H. H.; Ma, F. Synthesis of a novel magnetic nano-scale biosorbent using extracellular polymeric substances from Klebsiella sp. J1 for tetracycline adsorption. Bioresource Technol. 2017, 245, 471− 476.

3945

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.8b03539 ACS Omega 2019, 4, 3933−3945