Graphene nanorobots will be used to treat water bodies contaminated by heavy metals.

Release time:

2016-08-23

Overview:

The research team developing the new nanorobots is preparing to extend their application to a wider range of industrially polluted waters. Shanghai Luxiangyi Centrifuge boasts mature solutions and a strong user base in graphene centrifuge separation technology. We warmly invite interested parties to contact us for discussions or to make a purchase.

In the course of technological development, significant environmental damage can occur—for instance, improper disposal of electronic components and batteries can lead to contamination of water bodies with heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, and chromium. Now, an international team of researchers is leveraging cutting-edge graphene technology to develop new nanorobots designed to treat polluted water. These nanorobots exhibit an adsorption efficiency for lead ions that is several times higher than that of previous methods.

These robots are thinner than human hair and take the form of tiny tubular structures. They are made of three layers: the outermost layer consists of graphene oxide, which can adsorb lead ions from contaminated water; the middle layer is made of nickel, enabling external control of the robots via a controllable magnetic field; and the innermost layer is platinum, which generates propulsion by decomposing hydrogen peroxide. The relevant paper has been published in the journal *Nano Communications*. According to the paper, after deploying these nanorobots, water contaminated with lead at a concentration of 1,000 ppb can be purified to a concentration of 50 ppb within 60 minutes, with an adsorption rate as high as 95%. Thanks to their ability to be controlled by a controllable magnetic field, these robots can be recycled and reused—and even the lead ions they adsorb can be recovered through further processing.

Samuel Sánchez, a co-author of the paper from the Max Planck Institute in Germany, told Phys.org, “This represents a brand-new application of nanorobots in environmental science. Self-powered nanorobots can adsorb heavy metals from polluted water bodies and transfer them to areas where they are most needed. This is a promising closed-loop application, and the underlying concept could be extended to industrial applications.”

The research team developing the new nanorobots is preparing to apply them to a wider range of industrially polluted waters for real-world testing.

Graphene has attracted widespread attention from the outside world due to its profound impact on energy in modern materials. The preparation processes for graphene have even sparked a boom in the scientific research community. Shanghai Luxiangyi Centrifuge boasts mature solutions and an established user base in graphene centrifuge separation technology. We warmly invite all interested parties to contact us for discussions or to make a purchase.

Development Trends of Graphene in China and Abroad

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