Self-assembled graphene oxide lyotropic liquid crystal (GO LLC) structures are mostly formed in aqueous medium; however, most GO derivatives are water insoluble, so processing GO LLCs in water poses a practical limitation. The use of polar aprotic solvent (like dimethyl sulfoxide) for the formation of GO LLC structures would be interesting, because it would allow incorporating additives, like photoinitiators or cross-linkers, or blending with polymers that are insoluble in water, which hence would expand its scope. The well-balanced electrostatic interaction between DMSO and GO can promote and stabilize the GO nanosheets' alignment even at lower concentrations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInterpenetrating polymer network (IPN) architectures have gained a lot of interest in recent decades, mainly due to their wide range of applications including water treatment and environmental remediation. IPNs are composed of two or more crosslinked polymeric matrices that are physically entangled but not chemically connected. In polymer science, the interpenetrating network structure with its high polymer chain entanglement is commonly used to generate materials with many functional properties, such as mechanical robustness and adaptable structure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnique two-dimensional water channels formed by stacked graphene oxide (GO) sheets that are "nonleachable" and nonswellable can show great potential for water remediation. The interlayer spacing controls the solute or ion sieving and plays a crucial role in water transport in GO-based membranes. Herein, the sub-nano-channels adjacent to the sheets are altered by either ionic or covalent cross-linking using magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)) and graphene oxide quantum dots (GQDs) (named GOM and G-GQD), respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the recent times, scanty access to clean water has been one of the most prevalent problems, affecting humankind throughout the world. This calls for a tremendous amount of research to recognize new methods of purifying water at lower cost, minimizing the use of hazardous chemicals and impact on the environment. The interest of the scientific community in the potential applications of renewable feedstock-based hydrogels for heavy-metal adsorption for water remediation has been continuously increasing during the last few decades.
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