Facile fabrication of Pluronic-mediated copper nanoparticles using microwave techniques and their application as the photocatalysts for various organic dyes degradation

Abstract

Pluronic-mediated copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) were fabricated using the reducing agent sodium borohydride in the micellar media of different Pluronics (L121, P123, and F127) using cost-effective microwave techniques. The microwave-irradiation used to create CuNPs has been optimized. All Pluronic-mediated CuNPs fabricated emit red light and have been thoroughly characterized using a range of advanced techniques. The results showed that the hydrophilic PEO and hydrophobic PPO parts of the Pluronic have a countable impact on the particle size and stability of the CuNPs. When compared to the other two Pluronic micellar media, the Pluronic F127-mediated CuNPs (CuNPsF7) performed better in terms of uniformity, size reduction, and stability. In this context, CuNPsF7 has been investigated as a powerful photocatalyst for the degradation of textile anionic (Congo red and methyl orange) and cationic (Methylene blue and rhodamine B) dyes. When compared to blank CuNPs, the results confirmed that the CuNPsF7 followed pseudo-first-order kinetics and significantly increased the rate and efficiency of dye degradation. In conclusion, the Pluronic-mediated CuNPs serve as potent photocatalysts to remove organic dyes in the treatment of waste water from textile industries.