Unveiling the Role of Hydrophobicity on Multilayer Carbon Nanosheets Enriched in sp-Carbon for Toluene Adsorption under Humid Conditions.

Environ Sci Technol

State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China.

Published: September 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • - Carbon materials are effective adsorbents for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like toluene, but their performance is often hindered by competing water vapor at normal humidity levels.
  • - The study introduces a new form of carbon, called CNS-MCA, with more sp-carbon and layered nanosheets, which significantly boosts the material's ability to selectively adsorb toluene over water, even in high humidity.
  • - Various advanced techniques confirm that the enhanced toluene adsorption is due to specific interactions between toluene's structure and the carbon surface, while water's adsorption diminishes because of reduced exposure to hydrogen bonds and the hydrophobic characteristics of the carbon material.

Article Abstract

Carbon materials are regarded as a promising adsorbent for the adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, their adsorption behaviors are usually compromised at ambient conditions, attributed to the competitive VOCs adsorption with water vapor. In this study, we demonstrated that the selectivity for toluene than water of carbon can be effectively enhanced by introducing more sp-carbon with two-dimensional nanosheets stacked. The multilayer carbon nanosheets enriched with sp-carbon (CNS-MCA) exhibit a 151° HO-contact angle, indicating hydrophobicity. Dynamic adsorption behaviors revealed that CNS-MCA retain 71% of their toluene adsorption capacity (91 mg/g) even at 60% relative humidity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations, static adsorption studies, in situ Raman spectroscopy, and time-resolved in situ nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy collectively indicate that toluene exhibits enhanced adsorption and selectivity due to π-π* interactions between its aromatic rings and the sp-carbon. Conversely, water adsorption is attenuated, attributed to the reduced availability of surface-exposed hydrogen bonds associated with sp-carbon and the inherent hydrophobic nature of multilayer graphene. This study extends a novel solution for the enhancement of VOCs adsorption under humid conditions.

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Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c03365DOI Listing

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