Poly(propylene carbonate)/exfoliated graphite nanocomposites: Selective adsorbent for the extraction and detection of gold(III)

In this study, poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC) and exfoliated graphite (PPC–EG) composites were prepared by the solution blending method and their selective extraction and detection of gold(III) were investigated. Specifically, a new effective adsorbent was developed for a selective extraction and determination of gold(III) by use of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The selectivity of PPC (PPC–EG 0.5, PPC–EG 1, PPC–EG 2, PPC–EG 3 and PPC–EG 5) was investigated toward several metal ions, including Au(III), Cd(II), Co(II), Cu(II), Hg(II), Pb(II), Pd(II) and Zn(II). Based on selectivity and pH studies, Au(III) was the most quantitatively adsorbed on PPC–EG 0.5 phase at pH 2, indicating that PPC–EG 0.5 was the most selective toward Au(III) among other metal ions. The adsorption isotherm followed the Langmuir model with adsorption capacity of 157.61 mg g−1 of PPC–EG 0.5 for Au(III), which was in agreement with experimental data of adsorption isotherm study. The kinetic of adsorption for Au(III) was investigated by a pseudo-first- and second-order models. Results of kinetic models displayed that the adsorption of Au(III) on the PPC–EG 0.5 phase obeyed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. In addition, results of thermodynamic investigation demonstrated that the adsorption mechanism of PPC–EG 0.5 toward Au(III) was a general spontaneous process and favourable.