β-Cyclodextrin capped graphene-magnetite nanocomposite for selective adsorption of Bisphenol-A

Beta-cyclodextrin capped Graphene-magnetite (G-Fe3O4-BCD) nanocomposite was synthesized by ethylenediamine conjugation and used as an adsorbent for selective removal of Bisphenol-A (BPA) in water. Characterization of nanocomposite revealed BCD conjugated to Fe3O4 nanoparticles (30-40 nm) embedded on graphene. Adsorption process followed Langmuir model and pseudo second order kinetics with an adsorption capacity of 59.6 mg/g. It was found to be highly favourable physisorption and endothermic process as indicated by ΔG° (−3.36 kJ/mol) and ΔH° (2.08 kJ/mol) values at ambient temperatures. The nanocomposite was highly specific towards BPA compared to its analogs, largely driven by host-guest interaction between BCD and BPA. Nanocomposite had a high magnetization of 97 emu/g with superparamagnetic property at room temperature which helps in faster separation using an external magnetic field. Nanocomposite can be regenerated with methanol and can be reused without much loss in adsorption efficiency (<10%) after 6 cycles. It has huge potential and application in selective adsorption of target molecules.