Aggregation of graphene oxide and its environmental implications in the aquatic environment

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) with unique characteristics grasps striking potentials in both academic and industrial applications. After being released into natural waters, the dispersity and stability of GO might be altered by the chemical conditions in the receiving water bodies. In this review, we summarized that the aggregation of GO in aquatic environments is mostly dependent on properties of nanoparticles (size, structure, and functional groups) and complex water chemistry (pH, temperature, light, ionic strength, and dissolved organic matter). The knowledge about the aggregation/stability of GO is still insufficient due to the variations in GO properties and complex system of natural waters. Although studies about environmental transformation of graphene-related materials can be accessed but a systematic study taking into consideration the various factors of GO and aquatic systems responsible for aggregation of GO is still lacking. Therefore, we summarized that GO homoaggregation or heteroaggregation with other solid particles can affect the distribution in different depths of rivers and toxicity toward plankton or benthic organisms. More studies are needed to investigate the stability of GO in the long term, the effect of other nanomaterial on GO aggregation, the alteration of water constituents at different regions/time and its effect on GO aggregation, to understand the transportation and impact of GO in the environment.