Catalytic degradation of organic dyes using Au-poly(styrene@N-isopropylmethacrylamide) hybrid microgels

[Display omitted] •Au nanoparticles loaded into outer region of microgel particles has been synthesized successively.•Hybrid microgel particles have excellent catalytic activity.•Different organic dyes have been reduced/degraded in the presence of the hybrid microgels.•The hybrid microgels are easily recyclable catalysts for reduction/degradation of organic dyes. Poly(styrene@N-isopropylmethacrylamide) [P(ST@NPM)] microgel particles were produced by seed facilitated free radical precipitation polymerization technique and laterly gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) were integrated into the crosslinked polymeric network of shell of P(ST@NPM) core shell microgel particles to form gold-P(ST@NPM) hybrid microgel system by reduction of HAuCl4.3H2O within microgel dispersion. The synthesized microgel and hybrid microgel particles were characterized with FTIR, UV–Vis., DLS, TEM, and XRD methods. Then gold-P(ST@NPM) system was used as catalyst for reduction/degradation of rhodamine-B (RhB), congo red (CoR), methyl orange (MeO), eriochrome black T (ErBT), methylene blue (MeB), methyl red (MeR), and eosin (ES) dyes in the presence of NaBH4 at ambient temperature. Their reduction/degradation kinetics was also studied. Au-P(ST@NPM) was also applied as catalyst to reduce/degrade the wastewater sample containing various dyes to study the real application of the catalytic system. The Au-P(ST@NPM) is recyclable without any substantial loss of activity.