ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Research and application of graphite oxide-assisted high-gravity rotating bed liquid phase exfoliation of kaolinite

Xiaohui Huang and Wei Wu

School of Environment and Chemical Engineering, Heilongjiang University of Science and Technology, Harbin, China

E-mail: 1614401842@qq.com

Received: 4 June 2022  Accepted: 6 September 2022

Abstract:

In this work, graphite oxide-assisted high-gravity rotating bed liquid phase exfoliation of kaolinite was carried out. After exfoliation, the kaolinite sheets became smaller, the layers became less, and some layers curled automatically to form nanoscrolls. The length of the supernatant nanoscrolls ranged from 1 to 5 μm, and the outer diameter was about 500 nm. The interaction between graphene oxide and kaolinite was studied by density functional theory, indicating that the surface groups of graphene oxide and kaolinite can be bonded by hydrogen bonding, which promoted the dispersion of kaolinite and its nanosheets, and enhanced the exfoliation of kaolinite. The nano-kaolinite hydrophobic sponge was prepared by a simple dip coating method, with good hydrophobicity and a contact angle of up to 130°. The hydrophobic sponge had good adsorption ability, firmness and stability, and was expected to be used in oil spill cleaning, organic solvent and dye adsorption and other fields.

Keywords: High-gravity rotating bed; Density functional theory; Graphite oxide; Kaolinite; Hydrophobic sponge

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-022-02476-7

Chemical Papers 77 (2) 745–755 (2023)