Abstract A composite photocatalyst consisting of polypyrrole (PPy) and zinc oxide (ZnO) was successfully synthesized via a polymerization method. Different characterization techniques confirmed that ZnO was intimately attached on PPy.… Click to show full abstract
Abstract A composite photocatalyst consisting of polypyrrole (PPy) and zinc oxide (ZnO) was successfully synthesized via a polymerization method. Different characterization techniques confirmed that ZnO was intimately attached on PPy. The photocatalytic activity of PPy-ZnO composite was studied experimentally for the degradation of diclofenac (DCF) under simulated solar light irradiation at ambient conditions. It was indicated that the photocatalytic rate constant of PPy-ZnO was nearly 2 times higher than that of ZnO. Through tests with scavengers, h+ was shown to be the main oxidative species responsible for the degradation of DCF by PPy-ZnO, resulting in 81% degradation of the molecule in merely 60 min.
               
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