Supramolecular Structural-Based Graphene Oxide Lamellar Membrane for Removing Environmental Pollutants from Wastewater

In this work, we for the first time use a supramolecular compound (p-tetrasulfonato calix[4]arene) as a functionalizing agent to modify graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and prepare a unique class of GO/p-TSC4 lamellar membranes, which are then successfully applied for removal of toxic environmental contaminants from wastewater. The GO/p-TSC4 membrane (320 ± 20 nm) exhibits outstanding separation efficiency for different organic dyes, e.g., crystal violet, rhodamine B, eosin Y, congo red, and methylene blue, with superfast permeability. Furthermore, such membranes are employed for separating heavy metal ions, e.g., lead (Pb²⁺), cadmium (Cd²⁺), and arsenic (As³⁺), and show an outstanding rejection of up to 94 ± 1%. In addition, these membranes also show good rejection of MgCl₂ (72 ± 1%) and NaCl (68 ± 1%) salts. Moreover, the as-prepared GO/p-TSC4 membranes remain stable for up to ∼40 days in different aquatic conditions. This study provides an alternative approach to design cost-effective, eco-friendly, and high-performance separation membranes for ultrafast desalination.