Preparation of PANI grafted at the edge of graphene oxide sheets and its adsorption of Pb(II) and methylene blue

Polyaniline (PANI) chains were grafted at the edge of graphene oxide (GO) sheets by in situ chemical oxidation polymerization with the p ‐phenylenediamine attached to GO sheets as anchor sites. The structure and morphology of the GO‐PANI composite were characterized by Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, X‐ray diffraction, elemental analysis, and transmission electron microscopy. The GO‐PANI were used to adsorb Pb(II) and methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The results showed that the adsorption kinetics and isotherms followed pseudo‐second‐order and Langmuir isotherm model, respectively. GO‐PANI exhibited the maximum adsorption capacity for Pb(II) (1416 mg/g) compared with other absorbents. The process of adsorption for Pb(II) onto GO‐PANI is spontaneous and endothermic at 288, 298, and 308 K. In mixed system, the adsorption capacity for MB and Pb(II) onto PANI‐GO achieved 544 and 1004 mg/g, respectively. This study provides a promising PANI‐GO composites with an efficient adsorption property for MB and Pb(II). POLYM. COMPOS., 39:1663–1673, 2018. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers