Physico-Mechanical Study of CMC/BFO/PoPD Nanocomposite Films Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNCMCC) for Effective Photocatalytic Removal of Methyl Orange

Nurul Hidayu Nazri,Noor Haida Mohd Kaus,Mohammad Haafiz Mohammad Kassim,Mohd Amirul Ramlan,Yogesh Kumar,Md Sohrab Hossain

doi:10.3390/jcs5060142

Abstract

The present study was conducted to develop a nanocomposite film of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals isolated from microcrystalline cellulose (CNCMCC) in the presence of bismuth ferrite (BFO)/poly-o-phenylenediamine (PoPD). The physicochemical properties, the mechanical and thermal stability, and its photocatalytic activity towards the removal of methyl orange (MO) were determined. Results show that the integration of CNCMCC into the CMC matrix enhanced the mechanical strength of the film. The tensile strength (TS) of the nanocomposite film increased from 0.205 to 0.244 MPa, while elongation at break (EB) decreased from 201.44 to 168.78% in the presence of 20 wt.% of CNCMCC. The incorporation of CNCMCC in the CMC matrix substantially enhanced the nanocomposite’s thermal stability from 181.16 to 185.59 °C and decreased the degradation residue from 72.64 to 63.16%. The determination of the photocatalytic activity of the CMC/CNCMCC/BFO/PoPD composite film revealed the removal of methyl orange (MO) of 93.64% with high structural integrity after 3 h of treatment. Thus, the isolated CNCMCC-reinforced CMC/BFO/PoPD composite film can be used as a photocatalyst for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater, including the methyl orange.

Highlights

Creating synergies between the various phase constituents for smart materials and meeting the expected design expectations became a significant focus in recent years
carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/BiFeO3 or (BFO)/PoPD reinforced with cellulose nanocrystal (CNCMCC ) was successfully prepared
cellulose nanocrystals isolated from microcrystalline cellulose (CNCMCC) were integrated into the transparent membrane of CMC matrices, which resulted in high mechanical stability

Summary

Introduction

Creating synergies between the various phase constituents for smart materials and meeting the expected design expectations became a significant focus in recent years. Complementary to this intention, the nanocomposite polymer materials with high performance and excellent mechanical and thermal stability have received potential attention, because their constituent materials have better properties than their materials [1]. The TiO2 possesses a bandgap of 3.0–3.2 eV It has been widely applied for its functionality on photodegradation with strong light absorption in the UV region. Several attempts to enhance the photocatalytic and light harvesting functions of the semiconductor are compelling.

Methods

Results

Conclusion