Adsorption of bisphenol A on dispersed carbon nanotubes: Role of different dispersing agents

Abstract

Although the adsorption of organic contaminants on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and the dispersion of CNTs have been extensively investigated separately, the adsorption behavior of organic contaminants on dispersed CNTs, which may be a missing link to understanding their environmental behavior and risks, remain unclear yet rarely studied. In this study, the effect of the dispersing agent structure on the adsorption characteristics of BPA (a representative organic contaminant) on dispersed CNTs were investigated using tannic acid (TA), sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS), and gallic acid (GA) as model dispersing agents. Our results showed that at low dispersing agent concentrations, adsorption of TA could lead to higher CNT suspension than adsorption of SDBS and GA due to greater steric hindrance. However, the presence of TA reduced the adsorption of BPA due to strong competitive adsorption on dispersed CNTs. At high concentrations of TA, the suspension of CNTs was reduced by the “bridging effect,” in which adjacent dispersed CNTs form hydrogen bonds and re-aggregate. However, the adsorption of BPA dramatically increased due to the enhanced partition of BPA into pseudomicelles of TA on dispersed CNTs, as indicated by the significantly increased index of heterogeneity at high TA concentration. Transmission electron microscopy images confirmed the formation of TA pseudomicelles. This study highlights the key role of the dispersing agent structure on CNT dispersion and adsorption of organic contaminants. The high mobility and transport of CNT-adsorbed contaminants may lead to higher environmental risks compared with aggregated CNTs.