Synthesis and characterization of chitosan-supported Fe2O3 nanohybrids for rapid sonophotocatalytic degradation of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The present study reports the design of heterogeneous photocatalytic system using Fe2O3 with chitosan (CS) as a matrix for the sonophotocatalytic...     

Visible–light driven photocatalytic degradation of bisphenol-A using ultrasonically synthesized polypyrrole/K-birnessite nanohybrids: Experimental and DFT studies

Although manganese oxides are known for their semiconductor characteristics, the photocatalytic performance of conducting polymer intercalated K-Birnessite(K-Bi) has not been explored till date. With the view to design a visible light driven organic–inorganic hybrid photocatalyst for rapid degradation of Bisphenol A(BPA), the present work reports the ultrasound-assisted green synthesis of K-Bi/polypyrrole(Ppy) nanohybrids. The loading of Ppy in K-Bi was confirmed by thermogravimetric analysis while the formation of organic–inorganic hybrid was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy. K-Bi revealed a band gap of 2.8 e V while for the nanohybrids it was found to be ranging between 2.4 and 1.6 e V. X-ray diffraction studies confirmed partial intercalation of Ppy chains in the inter-layer space of K-Bi. High resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy studies showed mixed morphology of K-Birnessite/Ppy nanohybrids. Rapid degradation of BPA was observed under visible irradiation in presence of K-Bi/Ppy nanohybrids and almost90% degradation of 20 mg/L BPA solution was achieved within 120 min. The degradation was found to follow pseudo-first order kinetics and the degraded fragments were identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Degradation pathway was proposed based on density-functional theory calculations of fukui index predicting the radical easyattacking(f0) and(f-) sites in BPA.     

Highly efficient degradation of metronidazole drug using CaFe2O4/PNA nanohybrids as metal-organic catalysts under microwave irradiation

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Catalytic degradation based on microwave irradiation is an emerging technique which promises prompt and efficient catalytic degradation of organic...     

Conducting polymers/zinc oxide-based photocatalysts for environmental remediation: a review

The accessibility to clean water is essential for humans, yet nearly 250 million people die yearly due to contamination by cholera, dysentery, arsenicosis, hepatitis A, polio, typhoid fever, schistosomiasis, malaria, and lead poisoning, according to the World Health Organization. Therefore, advanced materials and techniques are needed to remove contaminants. Here, we review nanohybrids combining conducting polymers and zinc oxide for the photocatalytic purification of waters, with focus on in situ polymerization, template synthesis, sol–gel method, and mixing of semiconductors. Advantages include less corrosion of zinc oxide, less charge recombination and more visible light absorption, up to 53%.