Abstract: In this paper, sodium alginate–β–cyclodextrin modified graphene oxide (SA/GO–β–CD) composite aerogels were prepared by in situ cross-linking and freeze-drying technology. The modified graphene oxide was synthesized by grafting β–cyclodextrin on the graphene oxide. The adsorption properties of the composite aerogels on heavy metal ions in water were studied by using copper and cadmium ions as representative heavy metal ions. The adsorption and mechanical properties of the composite aerogels prepared by different GO–β–CD concentrations and the adsorption properties of aerogels on heavy metal ions at different initial ionic concentrations were discussed. The results showed that with the increase of GO–β–CD concentration, the mechanical strength and elasticity of aerogel increased, and the adsorption capacity increased firstly and then decreased with the increase of the concentration of modified graphene oxide. The maximum adsorption capacities of SA/GO–β–CD composite aerogels for Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were 134.67 mg/g and 160.66 mg/g, respectively.

Key words: sodium alginate; β-cyclodextrin; graphene oxide; aerogel; heavy metal ions