Flexible multifunctional chitosan/graphene oxide/polyaniline hydrogel thin films for adsorption of ibuprofen from aqueous solution

The presence of pharmaceutical drugs in water is exceptionally undesirable and highly concerning for human health and ecology in general. Hence, graphene oxide (GO) and polyaniline (PANI) nanoparticles rationally immobilized in chitosan matrix (CS/GO/PANI) based hydrogel thin films have been developed for ibuprofen scavenging from the aqueous solution. The prepared thin films have been characterized for crystalline structure, surface change, and morphological analysis. Moreover, the interaction between ibuprofen and CS/GO/PANI thin film has been investigated using infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques to determine the adsorption mechanism. The results indicated that the adsorption of ibuprofen reduces as the quantity of GO in the thin films increases. Additionally, the rise in PANI amount in CS/GO/PANI thin film increases the efficiency of ibuprofen removal. The scavenging of ibuprofen at different solution pH revealed that non-ionic ibuprofen molecules showed a higher interaction with the positively changed CS/GO/PANI thin film, and non-electrostatic forces like hydrogen bonding, π–π bonding, etc. were involved in the adsorption between the functional groups of ibuprofen and CS/GO/PANI thin film. These results were further supported by the kinetic and isotherm studies, which showed ibuprofen adsorption data best obeyed the Elovich and Redlich-Peterson models. Ethanol demonstrated a higher regeneration potential, and CS/GO/PANI thin film can be quickly recovered and reused without significant losses in efficacy after five cycles. Therefore, CS/GO/PANI thin film could be considered an efficient thin film for decontaminating pharmaceutical compounds from the aquatic environment.