Preparation magnetic graphene oxide/diethylenetriamine composite for removal of methylene blue from aqueous solutions.

Graphene oxide (GO) and its derivatives have several applications in many areas such as environmental and energy materials, water treatment and biomedical technologies. Because of having various polar groups on its surface, GO is considered as an excellent adsorbent. However, for many applications such as adsorption of pollution from aqueous solutions, chemical functionalization of graphene oxide is often a necessary requirement. In the present study, a new composite from graphene oxide, diethylenetriamine (DETA) and silica coated MnFeO nanoparticles (GO/DETA/MnFeO@SiO) was prepared. The structure, thermal stability and magnetic properties of the composite were studied by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDS, VSM and TGA spectroscopic methods. The prepared composite showed magnetic property with a saturation magnetization of 3.0 emu/g. The adsorption properties of GO/DETA/MnFeO@SiO composite for methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution were studied using batch method. The effects of important parameters on the surface adsorption process of MB, including pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage and initial dye concentration were investigated. The adsorption isotherm was in accordance with Langmuir model showing surface homogeneity of the adsorbent. According to the Langmuir analysis, the maximum adsorption capacity (q) of GO/DETA/MnFeO@SiO composite for MB was found to be 243.91 mg/g. The kinetic studies showed that the adsorption was pseudo first-order process. In addition, the thermodynamic studies indicated the adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic process.