In situ synthesis of a GO/COFs composite with enhanced adsorption performance for organic pollutants in water

Abstract

Adsorption materials play very important roles when used to effectively remove organic pollutants from the environment. In this paper, a novel graphene oxide/COFs (GO/COFs) composite was synthesized by the Schiff base coupling reaction between 1,3,5-tri(4-aminophenyl)benzene and 2,5-divinylterephthalaldehyde on the surface and between layers of GO at room temperature. The synthesized GO/COFs composite has a low density, large specific surface area, layered porous structure and favorable water dispersion. The adsorption behavior of the GO/COFs composite for naphthalene, 1-naphthylamine and 1-naphthol in aqueous solution was studied. Compared with GO and the COFs alone, the composite has a higher adsorption capacity, which may be due to the synergistic effect of the COFs and GO. In addition, the GO/COFs composite achieves excellent regeneration capability through ultrasound in ethanol, which is a low energy consumption and easy to operate method. This composite is hoped to be an excellent adsorbent in environmental remediation.