Functional Nanohybrid and Nanocomposite Coatings for Sustainable Environmental Remediation

The present research work focuses on the photocatalytic activity of colloidally stable TiO2 nanoparticle dispersion and TiO2-MEHPPV (poly [2-methoxy-5-(2-ethyl hexyl oxy)-1,4- phenylenevinylene] hybrid (inorganic-organic) nanocomposite coatings. The result shows that the cumulative concentration of (-OH) hydroxyl group on the TiO2 surface and its composite coating improves the degradation rate of organic pollutants. O-phenanthroline Fe (II) spectrophotometer was used to determine the surface hydroxyl groups of hybrid nanocomposite coatings. The coatings were prepared using a simple layer-by-layer (L-b-L) dip coating method. A zeta potential study has been conducted to determine the surface charge density and isoelectric point (IEP) of nanocomposite coating. Methylene blue (MB) dye has been used for photocatalytic degradation under UV-Vis Spectrophotometer. The results reveal that colloidally stable nanocomposite coatings overcome the problem of separating the catalyst from the solution. The consequence of significant operative constraints such as irradiation time, pH of the solution, and photocatalysts dispersion on the degree of pollutant removal have also been studied.