Efficient Heavy Metal Ion Removal from Drinking Water Achieved Using 2D Materials

Two-dimensional (2D) materials, as adsorbents, have attracted great attention in removing heavy metal ions from drinking water due to their extensively exposed adsorption sites. However, existing experimental research has not fully unlocked their adsorption capabilities and completely elucidated their adsorption mechanisms. SKLMP Member Prof. Zhiyuan Zeng, an associate professor from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at City University of Hong Kong, collaborated with SKLMP Director Prof. Kenneth Mei Yee Leung to conduct an experiment, which has been published in the journal "Nature Communications".

The research team utilized synthesized metallic 1T/1T’ phase 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs, including MoS₂, WS₂, TaS₂, and TiS₂) nanosheets, which hold tremendous activated S chemisorption sites, to achieve outstanding lead ion removal capacity (up to 758 mg/g). The residual Pb²⁺ concentration can be reduced from 2 mg/L to 2 μg/L within 0.5 minutes, meeting the drinking water standards set by the World Health Organization (Pb²⁺ concentrations <10 μg/L). Point-of-use devices made from metallic phase MoS₂ nanosheets reported by the research team exhibit treatment capabilities 1 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than other 2D materials and commercial activated carbon.

More information: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-52078-y