A green-chemical synthetic route to fabricate a lamellar-structured Co/Co(OH)2 nanocomposite exhibiting a high removal ability for organic dye.

A novel lamellar-structured Co/Co(OH)2 nanocomposite was synthesized with a room-temperature solution-phase reduction method. A possible reaction mechanism and shape evolutionary process for the Co/Co(OH)2 nanocomposite were supposed. The Co/Co(OH)2 nanocomposite shows a ferromagnetic behavior. Congo red (CR) was used to evaluate the Co/Co(OH)2 nanocomposite wastewater treatment capability. It was found that 150 ppm of CR could be removed from an aqueous solution within 10 min using the Co/Co(OH)2 nanocomposite, and the adsorption maximum is 2058 mg g(-1) which is higher than all previously reported values. The significantly reduced treatment time required to remove the CR and the simple, low-cost and pollution-free preparation method make the Co/Co(OH)2 nanocomposite promising for use in the highly efficient removal of dyes from wastewater.