The influence of metal ions on aqueous dispersions of graphite oxide.

The residual metallic impurities in the graphite oxide (GO) dominate their properties and have a negative influence on the potential applications. The swelling of the GO suspensions is mainly affected by electrostatic forces and special interactions between water molecules, metal ions and hydrophilic groups. Bivalent and trivalent cations give rise to ionic crosslinking of the charged network within the particles. The CaCl2 solution has the best purification effect. A new purification method is proposed in the purification process, the origin metal ions in GO suspensions are replaced by homogeneous metal ions first, and GO suspensions are desalted by electrodialysis device. Free ionic calcium is removed by electrodialysis, and only the calcium that interact with GO particles is remained. The content of fixed calcium is 0.0049 g/g (nearly clear) after washing with 1.5 mmol/L CaCl2 solution and electrodialyzing for 20 min. The new method improves the purification efficiency and save energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]