Molecular dynamics simulation of the adsorption properties of graphene oxide/graphene composite for alkali metal ions

As one of the effective methods to remove heavy metals, graphene (G) composite adsorption technology is irreplaceable in water pollution control and water purification, but its adsorption mechanism is not clear. Materials Studio (MS) software was used to simulate the molecular dynamics of the interaction between graphene oxide/graphene (GO/G) composite and alkali metal ion (M+). Based on the calculation of the interaction energy, diffusion coefficient and radial distribution function (RDF), The adsorption law of GO/G on M+ was investigated and its mechanism was revealed. It provides a theoretical basis for the research and development of the adsorption performance of G composite electrode. The calculated results show that the interaction energy between different M+ and GO/G is negative, indicating that the interaction between them is mutual attraction. The energy of GO/G composites and the total energy of M+-GO/G increase with the increase of M+ radius. The larger the hydrated ion radius of M+ is, the larger the diffusion coefficient is. Cs+ diffusion coefficient is slightly lower than rubidium. According to RDF analysis, M+-GO and M+ - O (GO) both have bonding within 3.5 Å and non-bonding after 3.5 Å, and the non-bonding interaction of M+-GO is greater. However, the bonding interaction between M+-O(GO) is larger than the non-bonding interaction, indicating that there are bonding and non-bonding interactions in the system when GO/G composite adsorb M+. The interaction between M+ and GO surface is mainly provided by non-bonding interaction, while the interaction between M+ and O atoms of GO surface is mainly provided by bonding interaction.