(733b) Green Solvent for Conjugation of Iron Nanoparticles (Fe3O4) and Graphene Oxide (GO) Nanosheets to Remove Water Contaminants

Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) have emerged as green solvents for functionalizing nanomaterials e.g., graphene oxide (GO) for introducing various functional groups on the surface. In this study, we show, for the first time, the applicability of DES as an agent for conjugating metal nanoparticles onto carbon nanomaterials to prepare nanohybrids. We conjugated Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and GO nanosheets to prepare functionalized magnetic nanohybrids tailored for effective contaminant removal from water. The effect of the GO:Fe₃O₄ ratio in the synthesized nanohybrids (GO-Fe₃O₄) was studied at three different mass ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 1:5 of GO to Fe₃O₄. HRTEM, XRD, Raman, and FTIR analyses were conducted to provide a better understanding of the conjugation mechanism and the physical and chemical properties of the synthesized nanohybrids. The performance of GO, Fe₃O₄, and GO-Fe₃O₄ nanohybrids as an adsorbent for removing methylene blue and lead (Pb) from aqueous solutions have been studied. Results indicated that the used green solvent i.e., DES not only can successfully conjugate Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles and the GO nanosheets, but also can provide nanohybrids with high capacity for contaminant removal from water.