Novel dye degradation photocatalyst nanocomposite powders based on polydiphenylacetylene-zinc oxide in polystyrene matrix

[Display omitted] •Green synthesis of polydiphenylacetylene catalyzed by Iron (III) chloride.•Novel polydiphenylacetylene-ZnO-polystyrene nanocomposite.•Enhanced photocatalytic activity of nanocomposite to malachite green degradation. Novel photocatalytically active polydiphenylacetylene-ZnO nanocomposites in pristine and polystyrene matrix form were obtained by mixing a polydiphenylacetylene solution in different solvents (acetonitrile or toluene) with hydrothermally synthesized nanosized ZnO. The degradation of malachite green dye as a model pollutant in water solution under UV illumination was investigated using synthesized nanocomposite powders. The polydiphenylacetylene-ZnO-polystyrene nanocomposite in a powder form demonstrates higher photocatalytic ability about the degradation of MG (88%) than that of pristine polydiphenylacetylene-ZnO (64%) which could be explained by possible π-π interaction synergistic effect between the polymer partners.