Preparation, Characterization, and Application of Novel Ternary PPS/PVA/Fe3O4 Nanocomposite for Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue.

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 min. 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]