Open AccessEnhancing the Performance and Recyclability of Polyaniline/TiO2 Hybrid Nanocomposite by Immobilizing with Zein/Hydroxyethyl Cellulose Composites for Removal of Anionic Dyes
Author(s) -
Tadesse Bassie Gelaw,
B. K. Sarojini
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
asian journal of chemistry/asian journal of chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.145
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 0975-427X
pISSN - 0970-7077
DOI - 10.14233/ajchem.2021.23169
Subject(s) - fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , catalysis , cellulose , photocatalysis , nanocomposite , polyaniline , thermal stability , chemical engineering , chemistry , polymerization , adhesive , methyl orange , materials science , polymer , nuclear chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , layer (electronics) , engineering
Fabrication of a stable, recyclable and eco-friendly photocatalyst for dye treatment is vital in sustaininga clean ecosystem. In this regard, polyaniline/TiO2 (PANI/TiO2) photocatalyst was immobilized byzein/hydroxyethyl cellulose (zein/HEC) adhesive to enhance recyclability and catalytic activity. Theblending of zein/HEC/PANI/TiO2 photocatalyst involves in situ oxidative polymerization, followedby immobilization with zein/HEC functionalized composites. The PANI/TiO2 composite wassuccessfully grafted with the adhesive through physicochemical interaction, as evidenced by fieldemission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)and powder X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The simultaneous thermal analysis (STA) results show thatthe photocatalyst has the best thermal stability relative to PANI and PANI/TiO2 in the recommendedrange of dye degradation temperature. The effect of external factors like TiO2 nanoparticle proportion,pH of the solution and catalyst dosage was studied in response to dye degradation capacity. The synthesizedcatalyst is efficient to degrade methyl orange in a wide range of pH. The kinetics of the catalysisreaction obeys the first order kinetics. The maximum degradation efficiency achieved was 97.9% and84.3% in the presence and absence of light, respectively. The catalyst was easily recovered by decantationand its catalytic efficacy was more than 94% after 5 cycles. Hence, it is a promising alternative fordecolourizing anionic dyes from wastewater.