Preparation, Characterization, and Application of Novel Ternary PPS/PVA/Fe 3 O 4 Nanocomposite for Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue

Abstract

This study used a simple co-precipitation method to fabricate a novel polymer-based photocatalyst that displayed effective photocatalytic activity towards the degradation of methylene blue (MB) solution under visible light irradiation. Due to its excellent properties, intrinsic polarization, and asymmetric structure, polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) was utilized in the magnetic ternary PPS/PVA/Fe3O4 nanocomposite. The analytical techniques confirmed the desirable combination of the photo-initiated Fe3O4 nanoparticles as the strong oxidizers with the high adsorption capacity of PPS and the binding and conductive effects of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Binary nanocomposites of PPS/Fe3O4 and PVA/Fe3O4 were also prepared to compare their photocatalytic activities with that of the PPS/PVA/Fe3O4 sample. The optimum degradation occurred in PPS/PVA/Fe3O4, reaching 83% after 120 minutes. Its superior activity was attributed to the synergistic interactions, such as broader absorption of visible light, suppression of electron-hole pair recombination, and increment in the surface area of the mesoporous catalyst. Based on the effects of scavengers, it was concluded that hydroxyl radicals had a vital role in the photodegradation of methylene blue. Kinetically, the photocatalytic activity of PPS/PVA/Fe3O4 followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, which was about 3.9 and 3.1 times greater than those of PPS and PPS/Fe3O4, respectively. More specifically, the superparamagnetic behavior of PPS/PVA/Fe3O4 helped to be recovered with an external magnetic field and showed good reusability and stability after four successive runs. The current work suggests that PPS-based photocatalysts can provide promising opportunities for the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants and opens up a new perspective on water treatment.