Organosilane-functionalized graphene oxide hybrid material: Efficient adsorbent for heavy metal ions in drinking water

Organosilane-functionalized and chemically activated graphene-supported Schiff base ligand were synthesized and characterized with XRD, SEM, EDX, TEM, UV-vis, FT-IR, and TG/DTA techniques. Graphene oxide (GO) obtained with the route of Hummer's method was reacted with 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylamine, then, the organosilane functionalized and amine-activated-GO was reacted with 3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylaldehyde obtained the hybrid material containing azomethine group on GO surface. The material was used as an adsorbent in order to remove cobalt(II) and zinc(II) ions in drinking water and standard solutions. The adsorption capacity of the material to cobalt(II) and zinc(II) ions were investigated by using batch method. The effect of pH, contact time, temperature, and concentration on the adsorption capacity of the material was also investigated. The enrichment factors were calculated as 441 and 675 for zinc(II) and cobalt(II), respectively. The recovery performance of the material was determined in 98.65-101.75% and 98.55-104.0% range for zinc(II) and cobalt(II) ions, respectively.