abstract
A composite photocatalyst consisting of polypyrrole (PPy) and zinc oxide (ZnO) was successfully synthesized via a polymerization method. Different characterization techniques confirmed that ZnO was intimately attached on PPy. The photocatalytic activity of PPy-ZnO composite was studied experimentally for the degradation of diclofenac (DCF) under simulated solar light irradiation at ambient conditions. It was indicated that the photo catalytic rate constant of PPy-ZnO was nearly 2 times higher than that of ZnO. Through tests with scavengers, h(+) was shown to be the main oxidative species responsible for the degradation of DCF by PPy-ZnO, resulting in 81% degradation of the molecule in merely 60 min.
keywords
ADVANCED OXIDATION PROCESSES; POLYPYRROLE/TIO2 NANOCOMPOSITES; WASTE-WATER; TIO2; PERFORMANCE; FABRICATION; ADSORPTION; MECHANISM; REMOVAL; DIOXIDE
subject category
Chemistry
authors
Silvestri, S; Ferreira, CD; Oliveira, V; Varejao, JMTB; Labrincha, JA; Tobaldi, DM
our authors
Célia Maria Dias Ferreira
Post-Doc Fellowship
David Maria Tobaldi
Researcher
João António Labrincha Baptista
Full professor
Verónica Oliveira
PhD Studentacknowledgements
The authors are immensely grateful to Dr. Sonia Maria Gomes Pires for providing the DCF. Bolsista CAPES/BRASIL (PNPD -No 20132633-42002010038P6 and FAPERGS No 88,887.195036/2018-00) (Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education) for the financial support. Celia Dias Ferreira and Veronica Oliveira have been funded through FCT Fundacao para a Ciencia e para a Tecnologia by POCH -Programa Operacional Capital Humano within ESF -European Social Fund and by national funds form MCTES (SFRH/BPD/100717/2014; SFRH/BD/115312/2016). This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, FCT Ref. UID/CTM/50011/2019, financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES. David Maria Tobaldi is grateful to Portuguese national funds (OE), through FCT, I.P., in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5 and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19.