Study of the adsorption capacity of graphene oxide under gamma radiation in different media

Abstract The high surface area of graphene oxide (GO) and the different polar and oxygenated groups on its surface ensure its high sorption capacity for different metals from aqueous solutions. Moreover, its elevated stability under some harsh conditions could also allow the application of GO in real nuclear waste management. In this paper, the 241Am(III) and 152Eu(III) adsorption capacity of GO under γ radiation in different media (H2O; HNO3; and the metal Eu in HNO3) has been investigated. From our results, we conclude that GO in H2O and in presence of europium metal in HNO3 suffer a decrease in the adsorption capacity with the absorbed dose, which can be related to the structural damage that is proved with the characterization techniques employed (X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)). On the other hand, GO in acidic medium has the highest stability due to the GO structure protection for the effect of the acid medium.