We are developing a method to prepare hybrid materials composed of ruthenium nanoparticles (Ru-NPs) and polyaniline nanofibers (PANI-NFs). These will be deployed as catalysts for the degradation of the toxic azo dye congo red, a model compound that is representative of a variety of industrial pollutants. RuCl3 or RuI3 is dissolved in water and microwave irradiated at 150°C in the presence of NaBH4 and pre-formed PANI-NFs. The NFs serve as a high surface area scaffold to disperse the Ru-NPs and minimize their aggregation. SEM images reveal that RuI3 more consistently produces well-dispersed NPs compared to RuCl3. Our current efforts focus on two areas: 1) optimizing the deposition of the Ru-NPs by varying irradiation time and reactant concentrations and 2) UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy to monitor the degradation of congo red in the presence of the NF/NP composite.

Microwave synthesis of composites of polyaniline nanofibers and ruthenium nanoparticles for the degradation of Congo red

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.