Catalytic activity of Co (II)-porphyrin anchored onto polymeric support of electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofiber: synthesis and efficient green oxidation of crystal violet dye with hydrogen peroxide

Abstract

A novel method was explored in this study to address water contamination challenges by utilizing nanofiber mat-supported metalloporphyrin materials. Specifically, electrospinning was employed to create various compositions of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) mixed with different concentrations of Co(II) complex of tetrakis-5, 10, 15, 20 (4-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin Co(II)TPHPP 1 anchored to chloroacetylated poly (p-hydroxy styrene) CAPS. These resulting nanofiber mat-supported metalloporphyrin materials were comprehensively analyzed using UV, FTIR spectrum, SEM, and TGA thermographs. The study found that the designed nanofibers acted as efficient catalysts for the oxidative breakdown of crystal violet (CV) dye using H2O2 in aqueous solutions. Among these materials, the nanofiber composed of a 1:1 ratio of PAN to Co(II)TPHPP/CAPS with a lower Co(II)TPHPP loading (NF6), demonstrated the highest catalytic activity, decomposing CV completely within 60 min. Various experiments were conducted to explore the effects of H2O2 concentration, catalyst dosage, and temperature on the catalytic degradation of CV with the NF6 nanofiber mat-supported metalloporphyrin. An interesting finding was the enhanced recovery and recyclability of the catalyst due to the immobilization of metalloporphyrin on chloroacetylated polymer-supported nanofiber mats. Remarkably, even after five cycles of reuse, there was no significant degradation in the catalytic activity of the recycled catalyst. This breakthrough highlights the potential of these materials in addressing water pollution challenges efficiently and sustainably.