MoS2-PNIPAM hydrogels as adsorbent for water purification

MoS2 is a prototypical two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), which has emerged as a flagship material in the area of two-dimensional materials. 2D MoS2 consist of atomic layers of Mo sandwiched between two layers of S atoms, through strong intralayer covalent bonding. 1-2 The functionalization of TMD is generally achieved at defect sites and is facilitated by electron transfer between the electron-rich metallic phase and electrophile reactants. Such reaction results in functional groups that are covalently attached to the chalcogen atoms of the TMD. Considerable efforts have been made to design functional hybrid TMD nanostructures by integrating of some of the unique properties of TMDs into polymeric materials to generate new functions and optimize their performance for varied applications.3-4 In this work, N-isopropyl acryl amide (NIPAM) was polymerized at the surface of MoS2 by stepwise reaction in the presence of N,N′-Methylenbisacrylamid. The obtained hybrid system was used to construct thermoresponsive filters by which different dyes could be specifically removed from water.

Keywords:

Hydrogel , Molybdenum disulfide nanosheets , Dye removal