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ISSN 1998-9539

BODIPY Dye Embedded Electrospun Polystyrene Nanofibers for the Photocatalytic Degradation of Orange G in Industrial Wastewaters

Augustus K. Lebechi, Tebello Nyokong,@ and John Mack@
Dedicated to Prof. Aslan Y. Tsivadze on the occasion of his Birthday
Centre for Nanotechnology Innovation, Department of Chemistry, Rhodes University, 6140 Grahamstown, South Africa
@Corresponding authors E-mail: t.nyokong@ru.ac.za; j.mack@ru.ac.za
 
DOI: 10.6060/mhc171143n
Macroheterocycles 2017 10(4-5) 460-466
 
The potential utility of electrospun polystyrene (PS) nanofibers embedded with 2,6-dibromo-8-pyrenyl-1,3,5,7-tetramethyl BODIPY for the photocatalytic degradation of Orange G in wastewaters is investigated. A comparison of the singlet oxygen quantum yield of the BODIPY dye in solution and when embedded in the PS nanofibers demonstrates that its photosensitizer properties are maintained in the nanofiber mats. The photocatalytic degradation properties of the PS nanofibers for Orange G were determined using a 530 nm light emitting diode. The rate of photodegradation increases with the Orange G concentration and follows pseudo-first order kinetics at pH 6.7. Reusability studies demonstrate that there is an enhancement in the rate of degradation when the fibers are reused.

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