Uranium(VI) sorption on graphene oxide nanoribbons derived from unzipping of multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Graphene oxide nanoribbons (GONRs) were fabricated by chemically unzipping multiwalled carbon canotubes and were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR, TGA and XPS. The prepared GONRs were investigated as adsorbents for the removal of U(VI) ions from aqueous solutions as a function of pH, ionic strength, contact time and temperature. The maximum sorption capacity of U(VI) on GONRs was 394.1 mg g(-1), which was much higher than some other carbon-based nanomaterials. The results show that GONRs are promising materials for the removal and enrichment of uranium from large volumes of aqueous solutions.