title: Correlation and prediction of adsorption capacity and affinity of aromatic compounds on carbon nanotubes.
abstract: Adsorption of 22 nonpolar and polar aromatic compounds on 10 carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with various diameters, lengths and surface oxygen-containing group contents was investigated to develop predictive correlations for adsorption, using the isotherm fitting of Polanyi theory-based Dubinin-Ashtakhov (DA) model. Adsorption capacity of aromatic compounds on CNTs is negatively correlated with melting points of aromatic compounds, and surface oxygen-containing group contents and surface area ratios of mesopores to total pores of CNTs, but positively correlated with total surface area of CNTs. Adsorption affinity is positively correlated with solvatochromic parameters of aromatic compounds, independent of tube lengths and surface oxygen-containing group contents of CNTs, but negatively correlated with surface area ratios of mesopores to total pores of CNTs. The correlations of adsorption capacity and adsorption affinity with properties of both aromatic compounds and CNTs clearly have physical significance, can be used successfully with DA model to predict adsorption of aromatic compounds on CNTs from the well-known physiochemical properties of aromatic compounds (i.e., solvatochromic parameters, melting points) and CNTs (i.e., surface area and total acidic group contents), and thus can facilitate the environmental application of CNTs as sorbents and environmental risk assessment of both aromatic contaminants and CNTs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.
authors.forename: Wenhao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China. Electronic address: kyang@zju.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China; Zhejiang Province Environmental Monitoring Centre, Hangzhou, 310015, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Wendi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Daohui
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Stockbridge School of Agriculture, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA. Electronic address: bx@umass.edu.
authors.forename: Baoshan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xing
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry*; D014865:Waste Disposal, Fluid / Q000379:methods*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Adsorption; Aromatic compounds; Carbon nanotubes; Correlation; DA model; Prediction