Fabrication of 3D Porous Polyvinyl Alcohol/Sodium Alginate/Graphene Oxide Spherical Composites for the Adsorption of Methylene Blue.

In this study, three-dimensional (3D) networked porous polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate/graphene oxide (PVA/SA/GO) spherical composites were fabricated by the sol-gel method and employed as adsorbents for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution. The obtained samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermal property analysis, and nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms. Moreover, the adsorption properties for MB were investigated by batch experiments. The pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order equations were used to fit the adsorption kinetics data, and the Langmuir and Freundlich isothermal models were used to analyze the adsorption isothermals. The results showed that the spherical composites had 3D porous structures, and GO, PVA and SA were fused and linked together by self-assembly, physical intertwining, hydrogen bonding, and Ca and boric acid crosslinking. The maximum adsorption capacity of the 3D porous PVA/SA/GO spherical composites for MB was 759.3 mg/g. The adsorption kinetics had a better agreement with the pseudo-secondorder equation than the pseudo-first-order equation, and the equilibrium data followed the Freundlich model.