Use of pectin–thorium (IV) tungstomolybdate nanocomposite for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

• Published in: Carbohydrate polymers 2013-07, Vol.96 (1), p.277-283
• Main Authors: Gupta, Vinod Kumar, Agarwal, Shilpi, Pathania, Deepak, Kothiyal, N.C., Sharma, Gaurav
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - administration & dosage; Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - radiation effects; Antibacterial activity; Applied sciences; biopolymers; Catalysis; Catalysts: preparations and properties; Characterization; Chemistry; Coloring Agents - chemistry; Coloring Agents - radiation effects; Composites; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli - drug effects; Exact sciences and technology; Forms of application and semi-finished materials; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy; General and physical chemistry; Ion Exchange; methylene blue; Methylene Blue - chemistry; Methylene Blue - radiation effects; mixing; Molybdenum - administration & dosage; Molybdenum - chemistry; Molybdenum - radiation effects; nanocomposites; Nanocomposites - administration & dosage; Nanocomposites - chemistry; Nanocomposites - radiation effects; Pectin; pectins; Pectins - administration & dosage; Pectins - chemistry; Pectins - radiation effects; Photocatalysis; Photolysis; Polymer industry, paints, wood; scanning electron microscopy; sol-gel processing; Sunlight; Technology of polymers; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; thermal stability; thermogravimetry; thorium; Thorium (IV) tungstomolybdate; Thorium - administration & dosage; Thorium - chemistry; Thorium - radiation effects; transmission electron microscopy; Tungsten Compounds - administration & dosage; Tungsten Compounds - chemistry; Tungsten Compounds - radiation effects; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - radiation effects; X-ray diffraction
• ISSN: 0144-8617; 1879-1344
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2013.03.073

•Pectin–thorium tungstomolybdate ion exchanger was prepared by sol–gel process.•It exhibited higher ion exchange capacity than its inorganic counterpart.•Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye was demonstrated in 5h.•The nanocomposite ion exchanger showed antibacterial activity on Escherichia coli bacteria. Pectin–thorium (IV) tungstomolybdate (Pc/TWM) nanocomposite was prepared by mixing biopolymer pectin with its inorganic counterpart thorium (IV) tungstomolybdate (TWM) using the sol–gel method. The nanocomposite was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Distribution coefficient, thermal stability, pH titrations, elution and concentration behaviour were investigated to explore the ion exchange behaviour of nanocomposite material. Pc/TWM exhibited higher ion exchange capacity (1.10mequiv/g) than its inorganic counterpart (0.62mequiv/g). The Pc/TWM nanocomposite ion exchanger was thermally stable as it retained 59% of its ion exchange capacity upto 400°C. The pH titrations study revealed the bifunctional nature of Pc/TWM. Inorder to explore the environmental applicability of the Pc/TWM nanocomposite material, its antibacterial and photocatalytic activities was investigated. 76% of methylene blue dye was photocatalytically degraded after five hours exposure. It also totally inhibited Escherichia coli at 400μg/ml concentration of Pc/TWM nanocomposite.