Development of ternary PANI/GO-Fe3O4@AgNps nanocomposites for photocatalytic remediation of toxic dye effluent under energy-efficient system

Publication Type

Journal Article

Name of Author

• Joshua Akinropo Oyetade, Laboratory for Industrial Water and Ecotechnology (LIWET), Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University Campus Kortrijk, Sint MartensLatemlaan 2B, BelgiumFollow
• Stijn W․H Van Hulle, Laboratory for Industrial Water and Ecotechnology (LIWET), Department of Green Chemistry and Technology, Ghent University Campus Kortrijk, Sint MartensLatemlaan 2B, Belgium
• Revocatus Lazaro Machunda, Department of Material Science and Engineering, School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Tanzania
• Askwar Hilonga, Department of Material Science and Engineering, School of Materials, Energy, Water and Environmental Sciences, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Tanzania
• Klaartje De Buysser, Department of Chemistry, Sol-gel Centre for Research on Inorganic Powders and Thin Films (SCRiPTS), Faculty of Sciences Ghent University, Belgium

Publication Date (Issue Year)

2025

Journal Name

Journal of Molecular Structure

Abstract

The environmental toxicity of effluents contaminated with synthetic industrial dyes and their resistance to conventional treatments drive the need for developing innovative treatment technologies such as visible photoactive catalysts in a photocatalytic system. In this study, novel nanocomposite photocatalysts were synthesized for photocatalytic remediation of toxic dye effluent under energy-efficient Light Emitting Diode (LED) irradiation. Concise instrumental analysis was used to investigate the morphological, functional, particle size, thermal and optoelectronic features of the developed photocatalytic nanocomposites. Their performance was tested with cationic (methylene blue) and anionic (methyl orange) model dyes. The instrumental elucidation reveals the coating of amorphous polyaniline with other composites, giving the blend rapid reactivity, which promotes photocatalyst-dye interaction. The composites exhibit lowered bandgap (2.66 eV, 2.85 eV and 2.27 eV) when compared to polyaniline (3.34 eV) used as macromolecular support via in situ coupling. This accounts for the efficiency of 95 % and 98 % reported for methylene blue and methylene orange, respectively, at optimal experimental conditions of 90 min irradiation time, pH of 5 and dosage of 20 mg/100 mL dye effluent. The study also proposed a Z-scheme mechanism with the vital role of •O2 – , •OH and h+ reactive species in the photodegradation of the dye molecules

Keywords

Effluent Nanocomposites, Photocatalyst, Mediation Performance, Energy-Efficient

Rsif Scholar Name

Joshua Oyetade

Rsif Scholar Nationality

Nigeria

Cohort

Cohort 3

Thematic Area

Minerals, Mining and Materials Engineering

Africa Host University (AHU)

Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Tanzania

Funding Statement

This work was funded by the Partnership for Applied Skills in Sciences, Engineering and Technology-Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (PASET-Rsif) and Carnegie Corporation of New York. The study also acknowledges the Sol-gel Centre for Research on Inorganic Powders and Thin Films (SCRiPTS), Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences Ghent University for their assistance in material characterization

Recommended Citation

Oyetade, J. A., Van Hulle, S. W., Machunda, R. L., Hilonga, A., & De Buysser, K. (2025). Development of ternary PANI/GO-Fe3O4@AgNps nanocomposites for photocatalytic remediation of toxic dye effluent under energy-efficient system. Journal of Molecular Structure https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1016/j.molstruc.2024.140818