Development of Magnetic Reduced Graphene Oxide for the Removal of Radionuclides from Contaminated Water

Capturing radionuclides from contaminated water is a critical environmental challenge, and magnetic graphene-based sorbents have emerged as promising materials due to their efficient separation via external magnetic fields. This study presents a simple one-pot synthesis of magnetic reduced graphene oxide (M-rGO) nanocomposite via starch, as the green carbon source to replace the conventional carbon allotropes. The synthesized M-rGO was well investigated by UV-Vis, FT-IR, Raman, and EDX spectroscopy, XRD, SEM, VSM, and TG analyses. Magnetic property was first observed via easy magnetic separation and quantitatively verified by VSM measurement (Fig. 1). The UV-Vis spectra showed the absorption peak of 280 nm and a broad band around 370-405 nm, which corresponded to rGO and M-rGO, respectively. Simultaneous rGO and Fe–O bands (541 cm^-1) are also observed from the FT-IR spectra, which aligns with the presence of IONPs in the integrated structure. XRD patterns and Raman spectra also confirmed the coexistence of IONPs and rGO, and the SEM images demonstrated 10‐20 nm IONPs decorating nano rGO size of 40‐60 nm (Fig. 1). The M-rGO nanocomposite was evaluated for strontium (Sr(II)) removal from aqueous solutions via batch adsorption experiments. Results demonstrated an adsorption capacity of 45 mg/g and 45% removal efficiency after 4 hours. Kinetic analysis favored the pseudo-second-order model, suggesting chemisorption as the dominant mechanism. Overall, this facile synthesis of starch-derived M-rGO presents a sustainable and effective adsorbent for radionuclide remediation in contaminated water systems.

• Supervision