Sustainable preparation of graphene-like hybrid nanomaterials and their application for organic dyes removal

Abstract

Graphene-like hybrid nanomaterials (GHNs) were successfully synthesized through a sustainable and solvent-free method. Sucrose and bentonite renewable precursors were used as a carbon source and a template, respectively. The characterization of GHN by Raman nanoscale spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the successful transformation of sucrose to sp2-hybridized carbon as in graphene. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) analysis evidenced the formation of a hybrid nanomaterial in a well-defined layered structure. The nanoindentation studies show that the modulus of the pyrolyzed sugar was 4 GPa, while it was 28 GPa for the graphene layer synthetized with this procedure. These hybrid nanomaterials were evaluated as an adsorbent for the removal of both cationic (rhodamine B and methylene blue dyes) and anionic (methyl orange) organic water pollutants at 9.5–10 mg/g. These stiffer GHN increase the resilience, durability, and sustainability of the clay particles for treatment processes.