Transport of Single-Layered Graphene Oxide Nanosheets through Quartz and Iron Oxide–Coated Sand Columns
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 2
Abstract
Single-layered graphene oxide (SLGO) nanosheets are distinguished from other colloids by their extreme anisotropy, which likely exerts a strong control on their transport behavior. Hence, this study investigates the influence of both environmentally relevant pH and ionic strength on the transport of SLGO nanosheets through saturated quartz or iron oxide–coated sands. Both the nanosheets and quartz sands are negatively charged throughout the experimental conditions, resulting in very little nanosheet deposition onto the quartz sands. However, increasing ionic strength and decreasing pH did cause measurable increases in nanosheet deposition, likely due to decreases in the magnitude of negative charges near the respective surfaces. Conversely, nanosheets and iron oxide–coated sands are oppositely charged throughout the experimental conditions, resulting in significant nanosheet deposition onto the iron oxide–coated sands. These trends suggest that nanosheet deposition is largely controlled by electrostatic forces, although the deposition rate of the high ionic strength iron oxide–coated sand treatment could not be explained by electrostatic interactions alone and instead may be influenced by nanosheet aggregation. Collectively, these measurements enable prediction of SLGO transport throughout a range of realistic environmental and geologic conditions.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported, in part, by fellowships to the first author from the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation and the National Research Council. In addition, the authors performed most experiments and analyses using instrumentation at the Center for Environmental Science and Technology (University of Notre Dame). The authors also acknowledge a substantial technical contribution by Jennifer Szymanowski (ND) and additional research guidance by Dr. Lauren Greenlee (NIST). The second author’s contribution was supported by the USDOE Office of Nuclear Energy’s Nuclear Energy University Programs, the U.S. National Science Foundation’s Environmental Engineering Program, the donors of the ACS Petroleum Research Fund, and the University of Notre Dame Sustainable Energy Initiative. Contribution of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, an agency of the United States government; not subject to copyright in the United States. Certain commercial equipment, instruments, databases, or materials may be identified in this paper to foster understanding. Such identification does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor does it imply that the materials or equipment identified are necessarily the best available for the purpose.
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 2 • February 2017
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 20, 2015
Accepted: May 24, 2016
Published online: Aug 2, 2016
Discussion open until: Jan 2, 2017
Published in print: Feb 1, 2017
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