Interaction Between Graphene Oxide Nanoparticles and Quartz Sand

In this study, the influence of pH, ionic strength (IS), and temperature on graphene oxide (GO) nanoparticles attachment onto quartz sand were investigated. Batch experiments were conducted at three controlled temperatures (4, 12, and 25 °C) in solutions with different pH values (pH 4, 7, and 10), and ionic strengths (IS = 1.4, 6.4, and 21.4 mM), under static and dynamic conditions. The surface properties of GO nanoparticles and quartz sand were evaluated by electrophoretic mobility measurements. Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) potential energy profiles were constructed for the experimental conditions, using measured zeta potentials. The experimental results showed that GO nanoparticles were very stable under the experimental conditions. Both temperature and pH did not play a significant role in the attachment of GO nanoparticles onto quartz sand. In contrast, IS was shown to influence attachment. The attachment of GO particles onto quartz sand increased significantly with increasing IS. The experimental data were fitted nicely with a Freundlich isotherm, and the attachment kinetics were satisfactorily described with a pseudo-second-order model, which implies that the quartz sand exhibited substantial surface heterogeneity and that GO retention was governed by chemisorption. Furthermore, thermodynamic analysis revealed that the attachment process was nonspontaneous and endothermic, which may be associated with structural changes of the sand surfaces due to chemisorption. Therefore, secondary minimum interaction may not be the dominant mechanism for GO attachment onto the quartz sand under the experimental conditions.