Recent advances in the environmental application of graphene-based composites

Abstract

Graphene-based composites have been widely applied in environmental remediation owing to their high removal capacity. However, systematic reviews concerning the application of graphene-based composites have not been available for the last five years. In this review, the modification of graphene-based materials (e.g., various nanoarchitectures and hybrids (element-doped as well as metal oxides/ and polymer/graphene composites)) in recent years is primarily summarized. Thereafter, recent advances in the environmental remediation of graphene-based composites (i.e., removal of organics (dyes, EDCs, antibiotics and others), heavy metals (Cr(VI), Pb(II), Cd(II) and others) and radionuclides (U(VI), Sr(II), Cs(I) and others)) are described in detail. In addition, the interaction mechanism between environmental pollutants and graphene-based materials (i.e., physical/chemical sorption, surface complexation and redox) is demonstrated. Moreover, the current challenge and perspectives of graphene-based composites are proposed briefly. The novelty of this review lies in the comparison of the removal performance of different graphene-based materials towards various environmental pollutants. This review provides significant reference for readers to apply graphene-based composites in actual environmental cleanup situations.