Title
Efficient Removal of Heavy Metals from Aqueous Solutions through Functionalized γ-Graphyne-1 Membranes under External Uniform Electric Fields: Insights from Molecular Dynamics Simulations
Date Issued
11 November 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Publisher(s)
American Chemical Society
Abstract
Carbon-based nanosheet membranes with functionalized pores have great potential as water treatment membranes. In this study, the separation of Hg2+and Cu2+as heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions using a functionalized γ-graphyne-1 nanosheet membrane is investigated by molecular dynamics simulations. The simulation systems consist of a γ-graphyne-1 nanosheet with −COOH or −NH2functional groups on the edge of pores placed in an aqueous solution containing CuCl2and HgCl2. An external electric field is applied as a driving force across the membrane for the separation of heavy metal ions using these functionalized pores. The ion-membrane and water molecule-membrane interaction energies, the radial distribution function of cations, the retention time and permeation of ions through the membrane, the density profile of water and ions, and the hydrogen bond in the system are investigated, and these results reveal that the performance of −NH2-functionalized γ-graphyne-1 is better than that of −COOH-functionalized γ-graphyne-1 in the separation of Cu2+, while the Hg2+cations encounter a high energy barrier as they pass through the membrane, especially in the −COOH-functionalized pore, due to their larger ionic radius and the smaller pore size of this membrane.
Start page
12254
End page
12263
Volume
125
Issue
44
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Ingeniería del Petróleo, (combustibles, aceites), Energía, Combustibles
Ingeniería mecánica
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85119129274
PubMed ID
Source
Journal of Physical Chemistry B
ISSN of the container
1520-6106
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus