Photocatalytic Decolorization of Dye Effluent Using Radiation Developed Polymeric Nanocomposites

In this study [acrylic acid/p(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)] (AAc/PVP) hydrogel was prepared using gamma irradiation technique. The prepared hydrogel was used as a template for in situ preparation of ZnO photocatalyst up to three deposition cycles. The structure, the thermal property, and the surface morphology of (AAc/PVP/ZnO) nanocomposite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) techniques. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained nanocomposite was tested for the degradation of methyl blue dye (MB) in the aqueous medium using UV-light. The effect of operational parameters on the degradation of MB such as UV irradiation time, pH, and initial dye concentration were examined. It was found that complete decolorization of MB dye was achieved after 45 min at pH 4. The degradation rate fitted the pseudo-first-order model and the rate of the photocatalytic reaction of the first preparation cycle of ZnO was higher than that of the third preparation cycle.