The Efficient Removal of Methylene Blue Dye Using CuO/PET Nanocomposite in Aqueous Solutions

Suhad Abdulrahman Yasin,Osama Ismail Haji Zebari,Samie Yaseen Sharaf Zeebaree,Aymn Yaseen Sharaf Zeebaree,Ibtisam Abdulmajeed Saeed

doi:10.3390/catal11020241

Suhad Abdulrahman Yasin, Osama Ismail Haji Zebari + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/catal11020241

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Abstract

The present research investigates the application of the green method to produce nanocomposites. The CuO/PET fiber nanocomposite can be prepared in two ways. The first way involves the application of the electrospinning technique by which waste plastic cups of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are converted into nanofibers. In the second way, the copper nanoparticle (CuONPs) is synthesized with the natural capped plant extract of sumac (Rhus Coriaria L., family Anacardiaceae) and the CuONPs are then combined as a filler with the PET nanofiber using a cross-linked solvent. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersion spectroscopy (EDS), and map elements distribution can be applied to investigate the surface modification and alteration of the composite nanofiber morphology. The collected data show that the produced CuO/PET nanocomposites have a high surface area, well distribution of elements, magnificent shape, and stable dispersion state. Furthermore, the CuO/PET nanocomposites are considered as an efficient photocatalytic removal of the toxic methylene blue dye (MB) in aqueous solutions. The results of the present study demonstrate that the photocatalytic efficiency for removing MB dye is achieved in a short time using a low-intensity irradiation ultraviolet light.

Highlights

Nanocomposites are known as the result of binding two different components in a nanoscale with a distinctive physical and chemical behavior
The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis for the prepared CuO/polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanocomposite revealed a prominent broad peak at location o2 theta (21.12o) back to the PET nanofiber, and two sharp peaks at 36.22o, 43.10o attributed to the presence of the copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) that spread over the PET surface
The two values in the XRD line of the CuO/PET nanocomposite are attributed to the particle size of the CuONPs that distinguishes the surface of the PET nanofiber

Summary

Introduction

Nanocomposites are known as the result of binding two different components in a nanoscale with a distinctive physical and chemical behavior. Copper (Cu) and copper oxide (CuOx) nanoparticles can be used in a wide diversity of industrial fields, including chemical manufacturing, energy conversion, energy storage, biological applications, environmental technology, catalytic activity as well as fillers in the PET matrix [13,14,15,16,17]. They can significantly alter the physic-chemical properties of the host polymeric compounds compared to the pristine. These compounds have excellent potential for reducing copper ions into copper with zero valence and eventually obtaining the copper nanoparticles [21,22]

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