Photocatalytic degradation of malachite green dye using zero valent iron doped polypyrrole

Abstract

The zero valent iron doped polypyrrole (Ppy/Fe) was synthesized via chemical oxidative polymerization method in diethylene glycol medium for the first time in this study. The characterization of synthesized Ppy and Ppy/Fe composites was realized by using fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectrometer (DRS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), elemental dispersion X-ray analysis (EDX), four point probe electrical conductivity X-Ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and pH at point of zero charge (pHpzc) methods. These characterizations show that there is an interaction between zero valent iron (Fe-0) and Ppy polymer. The photocatalytic activity of synthesized Ppy and Ppy/Fe composite were investigated by degradation of malachite green (MG) dye under UV light irradiation. Ppy/Fe composite was achieved complete degradation within 60 min, which is 5.92 times faster than pure Ppy. The effect of irradiation time, ratio of Ppy and Fe-0 in the synthesized composites, photocatalyst amount to photocatalytic efficiency of Ppy/Fe is studied. Also, the photocatalytic stability of Ppy/Fe is investigated under UV light illumination for degradation MG dye.