Fabrication of multiwall carbon nanotubes decorated with MoS2 nanoflowers for adsorption of Ag(I) from aqueous solution

In this work, a facile solvothermal method was employed to fabricate multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorated with MoS2 nanoflowers (MoS2/MWCNTs) nanohybrid using carboxylation multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH) as skeleton for MoS2 in-situ growth, and the MoS2/MWCNTs nanohybrid was used as a novel sorbent to adsorb Ag(I) from aqueous solution. The structures and components of the obtained samples before and after adsorption were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta potential analyzer and N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. Meanwhile, the effect of solution pH, initial concentrations of Ag(I), contact time and temperature on the adsorption performance of the MoS2/MWCNTs nanohybrid for Ag(I) in aqueous solution were explored by batch experiments. The results show that MoS2 was decorated on MWCNTs in nanoflower-like structure, which could avoid agglomeration of MWCNTs and MoS2 , expose as much of the sulfur-rich surface as possible, and provide abundant adsorption sites and transport channels for Ag(I) ions. The specific surface area of the MoS2/MWCNTs nano hybrid was 4.5 times that of pure MoS2. At the optimal adsorption conditions, the maximum adsorption capacity of the MoS2/MWCNTs nanohybrid for Ag(I) was 601.97 mg/g. The formation of Ag2S was main contribution for the adsorption, besides that, there was electrostatic adsorption. Based on the advantages of the simple synthesis method and high adsorption capacity, the MoS2/MWCNTs nanohybrid could be a promising candidate material for Ag(I) removal from wastewater.