The adsorption of rare earth ions using carbonized polydopamine nano shells

Abstract

Herein we report the structure effects of nano carbon shells prepared by carbonized polydopamine for rare earth elements (REEs) adsorption for the first time. The solid carbon sphere, 60 nm carbon shell and 500 nm carbon shell were prepared and investigated for adsorption and desorption of REEs. The adsorption of carbon shells for REEs was found to be better than the solid carbon sphere. The effect of acidities on the adsorption and desorption properties was discussed in this study. The good adsorption performance of carbon shells can be attributed to their porous structure, large specific surface area, amine group and carbonyl group of dopamine.