Dichlorocarbene modified graphene oxide nanocomposite fabricated by a facile hydrothermal method and its adsorption properties toward rare earth elements

Dichlorocarbene modified graphene oxide (GO-CCl2) was prepared via a facile hydrothermal method by using GO as the substrate material. The morphology and chemical compositions of the as-prepared material were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Additionally, the material was used to adsorb five kinds of rare earth elements (REEs), including La(III), Y(III), Yb(III), Er(III) and Nd(III) from aqueous solutions, and the adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics of GO-CCl2 for Yb(III) were investigated in detail. The GO-CCl2 was also applied to remove REEs from real water samples including spring water, Xiangjiang River, Yudai River and tap water, and the results showed that GO-CCl2 owned relatively high stability and satisfactory adsorption capacity in complicated natural water system, and the highest removal rates reached to 100% for La(III) and >90% for other REEs in tap water. Therefore, it is proposed that GO-CCl2 can be used to remove REEs from aqueous solutions.