MoS2 composite hydrogel supported by two-dimensional montmorillonite nanosheets for Pb2+ removal from water

To improve the hydrophilicity and achieve easy separation of MoS2 adsorbent fines from water, composite hydrogel of MoS2 supported by two-dimensional montmorillonite nanosheets in poly vinyl alcohol (MoS2@2D Mts-PVA Gel) has been designed and synthesized. 2D Mts act as carriers to load MoS2 and interact with polymers. The MoS2@2D Mts shows high hydrophilicity, and the MoS2@2D Mts-PVA Gel has porous three-dimensional structure for the adsorption and separation of metal ions in water. Therefore, 2D Mts are ideal carriers to load MoS2 for well dispersion in water and interact with polymers. Adsorption tests demonstrate that the Pb2+ adsorption capacity of MoS2@2D Mts-PVA Gel increases significantly with the increase of MoS2@2D Mts content and solution pH, and a high Pb2+ adsorption capacity of 257 mg g−1 can be reached. The adsorption of Pb2+ onto MoS2 can be attributed to the complexation of Pb2+ with S and O atoms on the surface, and electrostatic adsorption.