Adsorption of rare earth ions using carbonized polydopamine nano carbon shells

Herein we reported the structure effects of carbon nano-shells prepared by the carbonization of polydopamine for the adsorption of rare earth elements (REEs) for the first time. Solid carbon spheres, 60 nm carbon shells and 500 nm carbon shells were prepared and evaluated for adsorption and desorption of REEs. The adsorption performance of carbon nano-shells for REEs was far superior to the solid carbon spheres. In addition, the effect of acidity on the adsorption and desorption properties was discussed. The good adsorption performance of the carbon nano-shells could be attributed to their pore structure, specific surface area, and the presence of both amine and carbonyl groups from the grafted dopamine.