Preparation and stabilization of Ag nanoparticles with N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone grafted-poly(vinyl alcohol) in an organic medium and investigation of their usability in the catalytic dye decolorization

Abstract

To obtain a copolymer with different substituent groups, N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP) was grafted onto certain appendages of vinyl methacrylate introduced-poly(vinyl alcohol) PVA using AIBN. Then, PVA-g-NVP copolymer was used in the formation and stabilization of Ag nanoparticles in an organic medium without the use of reducing agents. The effects of volume ratio of the solvents, temperature, and concentrations of reactants were investigated for the formation of Ag nanoparticles. The particle size distribution of the Ag particles was determined using the TEM technique. The dispersions of the Ag nanoparticles were used in the decolorization of Congo Red (CR) and Methylene Blue (MB), in the presence of an electron donor NaBH4. Satisfactory catalytic activity results (>85%) were obtained with lower amounts of Ag dispersions according to the dye concentration, and it was observed that the performance of the Ag nanoparticles changed depending on the type of dye and preparation conditions.