Graphene oxide (GO), as a 2-dimensional material, has shown great promise in the removal of emerging contaminants from water, yet the separation and recycling challenges have limited its practical use. To overcome these challenges, GO was first thermally reduced to form a porous nanostructured hydrogel, which was then functionalized with polydopamine (PDA). The PDA with abundant functional groups, therefore, act as both adsorption and nucleation sites for the in-situ formation of cobalt-doped ZIF-8 nano-adsorbents. More importantly, the nanosized ZIF-8 as well as its structural cobalt loading were found to affect the aerogel’s physicochemical and adsorption properties. The resulting hybrid aerogels benefit from both the high surface area and mechanical stability of reduced GO and the excellent adsorption capabilities of ZIF-8, exhibiting superior adsorption performance, mechanical stability, and recyclability and offering a sustainable solution for heavy metal removal from wastewater. This work represents a significant advancement in adsorption-based environmental remediation technology, achieving high-capacity ion adsorption and easy adsorbent recovery. (Nurul A. Mazlan, Allana Lewis, Fraz Saeed Butt, Rajakumari Krishnamoorthi, Siyu Chen, Yi Huang, Front. Chem. Sci. Eng. 2024, 18(8): 89)
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