Surface modification of carbon nanotubes with polyethyleneimine through “mussel inspired chemistry” and “Mannich reaction” for adsorptive removal of copper ions from aqueous solution

A number of nanomaterials, such as silicon dioxide, graphene oxide, nano-diamond, etc. have been discovered and reported for various applications in recent years. The removal of environmental pollutants using nanomaterials should be one of the most important topics owing to their small size, high specific surface areas and catalytical properties. However, the removal capability of some nanomaterials is still need to improve for the lack of...