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. 2022 May 4;23(9):5116.
doi: 10.3390/ijms23095116.

Functionalization of Tailored Porous Carbon Monolith for Decontamination of Radioactive Substances

Joonwon Bae  1 , Gyo Eun Gu  2 , Yeon Ju Kwon  2 , Jea Uk Lee  3 , Jin-Yong Hong  2
Affiliations

Functionalization of Tailored Porous Carbon Monolith for Decontamination of Radioactive Substances

Joonwon Bae et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

As the control over radioactive species becomes critical for the contemporary human life, the development of functional materials for decontamination of radioactive substances has also become important. In this work, a three-dimensional (3D) porous carbon monolith functionalized with Prussian blue particles was prepared through removal of colloidal silica particles from exfoliated graphene/silica composite precursors. The colloidal silica particles with a narrow size distribution were used to act a role of hard template and provide a sufficient surface area that could accommodate potentially hazardous radioactive substances by adsorption. The unique surface and pore structure of the functionalized porous carbon monolith was examined using electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDS). The effective incorporation of PB nanoparticles was confirmed using diverse instrumentations such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A nitrogen adsorption/desorption study showed that surface area and pore volume increased significantly compared with the starting precursor. Adsorption tests were performed with 133Cs ions to examine adsorption isotherms using both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. In addition, adsorption kinetics were also investigated and parameters were calculated. The functionalized porous carbon monolith showed a relatively higher adsorption capacity than that of pristine porous carbon monolith and the bulk PB to most radioactive ions such as 133Cs, 85Rb, 138Ba, 88Sr, 140Ce, and 205Tl. This material can be used for decontamination in expanded application fields.

Keywords: decontamination; exfoliated graphene; functionalization; porous carbon; radionuclide.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A schematic illustration for fabricating PCM through etching of the silica particle templates in EG/SiO2 composite and obtaining PB@PCM by a subsequent decoration of PB nanoparticles into the PCM. FE-SEM images of (a) EG/SiO2 particles composite, (b) PCM, and (c) PB@PCM.
Figure 2
Figure 2
FE-SEM images of the 3D porous carbon monolith at different sections (edge, top, cross-section).
Figure 3
Figure 3
High-angle annular dark-field scanning TEM (HAADF-STEM) image and EDS elemental mapping images of PB@PCM for carbon ©, nitrogen (N), and iron (Fe). PB particles uniformly distributed over the whole PCM surface.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Characterization of Prussian blue, exfoliated graphene and PB@PCM with (a) FT-IR, (b) XRD. XPS survey spectra of PB@PCM (c) wide scan, (d) C(1s), (e) N(1s) and (f) Fe(2p).
Figure 5
Figure 5
(a) 133Cs ion uptake behavior as a function of equilibrium ion concentration and adsorption isotherms for 133Cs ion uptake by the PB@PCM, linearly fitted to the (b) Langmuir and (c) Freundlich isotherm equation. (d) 133Cs ion uptake behavior as a function of contact time and adsorption isotherms for 133Cs ion uptake by the PB@PCM, linearly fitted to (e) pseudo-first-order and (f) pseudo-second-order kinetics.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Measurement of radioactive ion species uptake by the bulk PB and the PB@PCM to 6 radioactive ion species (133Cs, 87Rb, 88Sr, 137Ba, 140Ce, and 205Tl) at pH 7.0 and 20.0°C for 24 h. (b) The pH effect on the 133Cs removal efficiency of the PB@PCM at 20.0 °C for 24 h. Initial 133Cs ion concentration is 100 ppm.
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