Acknowledgments The authors would like to acknowledge the financial contributions from the
Faculty of Science: University of Johannesburg, South Africa, Department of Applied Chemistry
and the National Research Foundation (TTK14052167682). FO acknowledges the financial
support from the Global Excellence and Stature (GES) Doctoral Scholarship: University of
Johannesburg, South Africa. EMK also acknowledges the financial support from National
Research Foundation (NRF).
References
Ahmad M, Ahmed E, Hong ZL, Khalid NR, Ahmed W, Elhissi A (2013a) Graphene–Ag/ZnO
nanocomposites as high performance photocatalysts under visible light irradiation. J Alloys
Compd 577:717–727. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2013.06.137
Ahmad M, Ahmed E, Hong ZL, Xu JF, Khalid NR, Elhissi A, Ahmed W (2013b) A facile one-step
approach to synthesizing ZnO/graphene composites for enhanced degradation of methylene
blue under visible light. Appl Surf Sci 274:273–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2013.03.
035
Ai L, Zhang C, Chen Z (2011) Removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution by a
solvothermal-synthesized graphene/magnetite composite. J Hazard Mater 192:1515–1524.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2011.06.068
Ali I, Gupta V (2006) Advances in water treatment by adsorption technology. Nat Protoc
1:2661–2667
Allen MJ, Tung VC, Kaner RB (2009) Honeycomb carbon: a review of graphene. Chem Rev
110:132–145
Alyüz B, Veli S (2009) Kinetics and equilibrium studies for the removal of nickel and zinc from
aqueous solutions by ion exchange resins. J Hazard Mater 167:482–488
An X, Jimmy CY, Wang Y, Hu Y, Yu X, Zhang G (2012) WO 3 nanorods/graphene nanocomposites
for high-efficiency visible-light-driven photocatalysis and NO 2 gas sensing. J Mater Chem
22:8525–8531
Anisimov VI, Aryasetiawan F, Lichtenstein A (1997) First-principles calculations of the electronic
structure and spectra of strongly correlated systems: the LDA + U method. J Phys Condens
Matter 9:767–808
Anpo M, Kamat P (2010) Environmental benign photocatalysts. In: Applications of titanium oxidebased materials. Springer, New York, pp 1–501
Ayissi S, Charpentier PA, Farhangi N, Wood JA, Palotás K, Hofer WA (2013) Interaction of
titanium oxide nanostructures with graphene and functionalized graphene nanoribbons: a DFT
study. J Phys Chem C 117:25424–25432. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp403835m
Bai X, Wang L, Zhu Y (2012) Visible photocatalytic activity enhancement of ZnWO 4 by graphene
hybridization. ACS Catal 2:2769–2778
Bai S, Jiang J, Zhang Q, Xiong Y (2015) Steering charge kinetics in photocatalysis: intersection of
materials syntheses, characterization techniques and theoretical simulations. Chem Soc Rev
44:2893–2939
Bard AJ, Parsons R, Jordan J (1985) Standard potentials in aqueous solution, vol 6. CRC press,
New York, pp 1–829
Becke AD (1988) Density-functional exchange-energy approximation with correct asymptotic
behavior. Phys Rev A 38:3098–3100
Berera R, van Grondelle R, Kennis JT (2009) Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy: principles
and application to photosynthetic systems. Photosynth Res 101:105–118
Berger C, Song Z, Li X, Wu X, Brown N, Naud C, Mayou D, Li T, Hass J, Marchenkov AN (2006)
Electronic confinement and coherence in patterned epitaxial graphene. Science 312:1191–1196
1 Nanotechnology for Water and Wastewater Treatment Using Graphene. . .
25
Faculty of Science: University of Johannesburg, South Africa, Department of Applied Chemistry
and the National Research Foundation (TTK14052167682). FO acknowledges the financial
support from the Global Excellence and Stature (GES) Doctoral Scholarship: University of
Johannesburg, South Africa. EMK also acknowledges the financial support from National
Research Foundation (NRF).
References
Ahmad M, Ahmed E, Hong ZL, Khalid NR, Ahmed W, Elhissi A (2013a) Graphene–Ag/ZnO
nanocomposites as high performance photocatalysts under visible light irradiation. J Alloys
Compd 577:717–727. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jallcom.2013.06.137
Ahmad M, Ahmed E, Hong ZL, Xu JF, Khalid NR, Elhissi A, Ahmed W (2013b) A facile one-step
approach to synthesizing ZnO/graphene composites for enhanced degradation of methylene
blue under visible light. Appl Surf Sci 274:273–281. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsusc.2013.03.
035
Ai L, Zhang C, Chen Z (2011) Removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution by a
solvothermal-synthesized graphene/magnetite composite. J Hazard Mater 192:1515–1524.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2011.06.068
Ali I, Gupta V (2006) Advances in water treatment by adsorption technology. Nat Protoc
1:2661–2667
Allen MJ, Tung VC, Kaner RB (2009) Honeycomb carbon: a review of graphene. Chem Rev
110:132–145
Alyüz B, Veli S (2009) Kinetics and equilibrium studies for the removal of nickel and zinc from
aqueous solutions by ion exchange resins. J Hazard Mater 167:482–488
An X, Jimmy CY, Wang Y, Hu Y, Yu X, Zhang G (2012) WO 3 nanorods/graphene nanocomposites
for high-efficiency visible-light-driven photocatalysis and NO 2 gas sensing. J Mater Chem
22:8525–8531
Anisimov VI, Aryasetiawan F, Lichtenstein A (1997) First-principles calculations of the electronic
structure and spectra of strongly correlated systems: the LDA + U method. J Phys Condens
Matter 9:767–808
Anpo M, Kamat P (2010) Environmental benign photocatalysts. In: Applications of titanium oxidebased materials. Springer, New York, pp 1–501
Ayissi S, Charpentier PA, Farhangi N, Wood JA, Palotás K, Hofer WA (2013) Interaction of
titanium oxide nanostructures with graphene and functionalized graphene nanoribbons: a DFT
study. J Phys Chem C 117:25424–25432. https://doi.org/10.1021/jp403835m
Bai X, Wang L, Zhu Y (2012) Visible photocatalytic activity enhancement of ZnWO 4 by graphene
hybridization. ACS Catal 2:2769–2778
Bai S, Jiang J, Zhang Q, Xiong Y (2015) Steering charge kinetics in photocatalysis: intersection of
materials syntheses, characterization techniques and theoretical simulations. Chem Soc Rev
44:2893–2939
Bard AJ, Parsons R, Jordan J (1985) Standard potentials in aqueous solution, vol 6. CRC press,
New York, pp 1–829
Becke AD (1988) Density-functional exchange-energy approximation with correct asymptotic
behavior. Phys Rev A 38:3098–3100
Berera R, van Grondelle R, Kennis JT (2009) Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy: principles
and application to photosynthetic systems. Photosynth Res 101:105–118
Berger C, Song Z, Li X, Wu X, Brown N, Naud C, Mayou D, Li T, Hass J, Marchenkov AN (2006)
Electronic confinement and coherence in patterned epitaxial graphene. Science 312:1191–1196
1 Nanotechnology for Water and Wastewater Treatment Using Graphene. . .
25