Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Adsorbents Based on Functionalization of Graphene Oxide with Schiff Base and Reduced Schiff Base for Pesticide Removal

Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets were functionalized with Schiff base and reduced Schiff base. Covalent and non-covalent functionalized GO nanostructures have been tested for the removal of pesticides with different chemical structures and properties (e.g., Epoxiconazole, Dimethomorph, Cyprodinil, Chlorothalonil, Acetochlor, Trifluralin) from aqueous solutions. The structure and morphology characteristics of the prepared structures were analyzed using techniques such as solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results of the experiments showed that, although the non-covalent functionalization did not affect the adsorption properties of GO much, the covalent functionalization increased the adsorption capacity of GO against the mentioned pesticides.