Preparation of a novel Fe₃O₄/graphene oxide hybrid for adsorptive removal of methylene blue from water

Abstract

In this work, a novel Fe3O4/graphene oxide (GO) hybrid was prepared and its removal ability of cationic methylene blue dye from water was investigated. To improve the dispersability of Fe3O4/GO hybrid in water, GO was first modified by polyethylene glycol (PEG) via a click approach before deposition of Fe3O4 nanoparticles onto its surface. The successful modification of GO surface and the deposition of Fe3O4 nanoparticles were confirmed by transmission electron microscopy directly. The saturation magnetization of the resultant Fe3O4/GO hybrid is 7.8 eum/g. The adsorption capacities of Fe3O4/GO hybrid for methylene blue at 35 and 60°C were as high as 96.05 and 120.05 mg/g, respectively. Moreover, the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin models are used to investigate the isothermal adsorption behavior of Fe3O4/GO hybrid.