Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(vanillin pyrrole)/Zinc Oxide Composite for Photocatalysis Application under Natural Sunlight Irradiation

In this investigation, methylene blue (MeB) dye degradation under simulated solar light irradiation was experimentally investigated for the photocatalytic activity of poly(vanillin pyrrole)/ZnO nanocomposite. Conducting polymers like poly(vanillin pyrrole) (PPHMB) and its derivatives are often employed as photosensitizers to enhance the photocatalytic activity of ZnO when exposed to sunlight. The co-precipitation approach was used to create the PPHMB/ZnO composite after the PPHMB was created using the cationic polycondensation method. Under sunlight irradiation, the produced composite demonstrated greater photocatalytic activity than bare ZnO for the destruction of MeB dye. A variety of characterization methods, including, XRD, TGA, and an optical analysis, were used to the produced composite. Different operational factors that might influence results, such as the starting dye concentration, the amount of radiation employed, and the impact of the dosage of PPHMB/ZnO composite, have also been explored. A UV-visible spectrophotometer was used to determine the optical density of dye degradation. Additionally, investigated was the photocatalytic activity’s repeatability.