Fabrication of Zinc Oxide-Polyaniline Composite on Kapok Paper for Methylene Blue Dye Removal in Aqueous Solution

Abstract

Polyaniline-zinc oxide composite on Kapok paper were fabricated for methylene blue dye removal in aqueous solution. Kapok fibers were fabricated into papers. The fabricate paper served as substrate for the zinc oxide-polyaniline composite. Zinc oxide particles were deposited on the Kapok paper using an in-situ method while polyaniline molecules are deposited on paper using Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR) method. The polyaniline molecules were deprotonated using sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to be able adsorb cationic dyes in aqueous solution. The samples were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Results show that the deprotonated polyaniline nanocomposite was able to remove at about 75% more dye compared to the as-synthesized polyaniline nanocomposite.