Evaluating the potential of MesoporousTiO2/ NiFe2O4 nano composite integrated on polydimethylsiloxane sponge for degradation of Methyl Orange

This investigation presents an easy-to-implement fabrication process of a flexible sponge composite from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) decorated with mesoporous titanium dioxide (MTiO2)/nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) as a novel photocatalyst system. A sacrificial template was used to fabricate a permeable PDMS structure with pores size varied from 10 to 150 mu m. A solution containing different concentrations of MTiO2/ NiFe2O4 is used to decorate the surface and slits walls of porous PDMS. FTIR analysis indicated that the Ti-O-Si bonds are the dominant interaction between PDMS and MTiO2/ NiFe2O4. Furthermore, Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS), SEM/EDS, HRTEM, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) analysis were performed to evaluate the PDMS incorporated Nano composite. In order to optimize the photocatalytic properties of PDMS-MTiO2/ NiFe2O4 composite, the dispersion of different MTiO2/ NiFe2O4 mass ratios in PDMS sponge is examined. The discoloration of contaminated methyl orange (MO) on sponge composite under solar simulated irradiation indicates the fast degradation of MO on PDMS-MTiO2/ NiFe2O4 (70:30). The surface morphology, roughness, and wettability evaluation of composites revealed the active surface insertion of nanoparticles. The photocatalytic degradation mechanism was indirectly studied using scavengers to determine the OH center dot,h(vb)(+) , e(cb)(-) , and O-2(& sdot;-) progressive species. The advantages of combining MTiO2/ NiFe2O4 Nano catalyst with porous PDMS structure would offer a facile separation of catalyst from contaminant. The recyclability indicates the promising applications of these composites for efficient wastewater treatment.