This paper discusses the promising candidate of excellent materials, graphene oxide (GO) and polyoxometalates (POMs), for radionuclide adsorbent. In this perspective, the unique properties of GO and POMs make them ideal candidates for developing new composites having the ability to adsorb radionuclides, and several essential things are reviewed. First, the anchoring mechanism to deposit POM on the GO surface area by (i) carboxylation method, (ii) covalent bonding, and (iii) impregnation method. Second, the radionuclides removal mechanism is described in several systems: (i) coagulation, (ii) electrostatic interaction, (iii) ion trapping, and (iv) H+-exchange. Third, the experimental condition that employed to enlarge the sorption capacity such as (i) pH adjustment, (ii) employing multiple oxidations, and (iii) cation charge. A thorough understanding of the POM-anchored GO material can pave the way for future research on similar materials. It can also help in understanding the nature of the interactive collaboration present between GO and POM.

A graphene oxide-based α-K6P2W18O62 (Dawson-type polyoxometalate) nanocomposite was formed by using two types of graphene oxide (GO) samples with different C/O compositions. Herein, based on the interaction of GO, polyoxometalates (POMs), and their nanocomposites with the Cs cation, quantitative data have been provided to explicate the morphology and Cs adsorption character. The morphology of the GO-POM nanocomposites was characterized by using TEM and SEM imaging. These results show that the POM particle successfully interacted above the surface of GO. The imaging also captured many small black spots on the surface of the nanocomposite after Cs adsorption. Furthermore, ICP-AES, the PXRD pattern, IR spectra, and Raman spectra all emphasized that the Cs adsorption occurred. The adsorption occurred by an aggregation process. Furthermore, the difference in the C/O ratio in each GO sample indicated that the ratio has significantly influenced the character of the GO-POM nanocomposite for the Cs adsorption. It was shown that the oxidized zone (sp2/sp3 hybrid carbon) of each nanocomposite sample was enlarged by forming the nanocomposite compared to the corresponding original GO sample. The Cs adsorption performance was also influenced after forming a composite. The present study also exhibited the fact that the sharp and intense diffractions in the PXRD were significantly reduced after the Cs adsorption. The result highlights that the interlayer distance was changed after Cs adsorption in all nanocomposite samples. This has a good correlation with the Raman spectra in which the second-order peaks changed after Cs adsorption.

A new nanocomposite was developed using functionalized graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs) with cesium green molecules for the first time.