Open Access

ARTICLE

Fabrication and Characterization of PANI/MgO NPs Composite Films for Photocatalysis Application

Malak Khannoucha^1,*, Boubekeur Boudine¹, Imene Ameur¹, Aouatef Dali², Ouahiba Halimi¹, Miloud Sebais¹, Tahar Touam³

1 Laboratoire de Cristallographie (LC), Faculté des Sciences Exacte, Université des frères Mentouri constantine 1, Constantine, 25000, Algérie
2 Laboratoire des sciences et technologie de l’environnement (LSTE), Faculté des Sciences Exactes, Université de Constantine 1 frères Mentouri, Constantine, 25000, Algérie
3 Laboratoire de Semiconducteurs, Université de Badji Mokhtar-Annaba, BP 12, Annaba, 23000, Algérie

* Corresponding Author: Malak Khannoucha. Email:

Journal of Polymer Materials 2025, 42(1), 205-220. https://doi.org/10.32604/jpm.2025.059697

Received 15 October 2024; Accepted 13 January 2025; Issue published 27 March 2025

Abstract

This work reports a soft chemistry approach for the synthesis of magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO) incorporated in a polyaniline (PANI) matrix to give PANI/MgO nanocomposite. Using spin coating method, three different percentages of MgO/PVC (1, 2, and 3% in wt.%) were deposited on glass substrates. These films of PANI/MgO nanocomposite were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and UV-visible spectroscopy. The results of the XRD pattern revealed the embedding of MgO nanoparticles in the PANI matrix with cubic phase, with the average size of nanoparticles varying from 35.12 to 59.55 nm. The AFM images displayed a significant change in the morphology of the PANI/MgO NPs composite films as MgO concentration was increased. The optical transmittance analysis revealed that at very low concentrations of MgO in PANI/MgO nanocomposite films, there is a high transparency, reaching close to 90%. However, this transmittance decreases significantly as the concentration of MgO increases. The photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite film was then evaluated for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye under UV light irradiation. The results indicated a strong potential for PANI/MgO nanocomposite films in effectively degrading MB, supported by a proposed mechanism for the photocatalytic reaction. Compared with other composites such as PVC/MgO, PANI/MgO nanocomposite presented better MB degradation efficiency.

---

Keywords

---