In situ crosslinking of poly(vinyl alcohol)/graphene oxide Nano-composite hydrogel: intercalation structure and adsorption mechanism for advanced Pb(II) removal

Based on the industrialized graphene oxide (GO) product, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/GO nano-composite hydrogels were prepared through in situ crosslinking by incorporation of N-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl] ethylenediamine-triacetic acid sodium (CSA) as a compatibilizer. Introduction of CSA led to more efficient grafting of PVA molecules onto GO surface with increasing average layer thickness through covalent and hydrogen bonding interaction, while GO was exfoliated and uniformly distributed in PVA matrix. Addition of appropriate content of GO can improve the storage modulus and the effective crosslinking density (υ_e) of the composite hydrogel, and the network structure with GO as crosslinking point formed, resulting in the remarkable increase of the hydraulic impact resistance, mechanical strength and toughness of the hydrogel. Pb²⁺ adsorption capacity of the hydrogel increased with GO content, while the adsorption belonged to the second-order kinetic model and fitted Langmuir adsorption isotherm model, indicating the homogeneous nature of monolayer chemical adsorption of Pb²⁺. A relatively good reusability of the composite hydrogel beads for Pb²⁺ removal can be achieved.