Preparation and immobilization of zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles on polyvinylidene fluoride pellets for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue in wastewater

Abstract

ZnS nanoparticles with 90 nm diameter were synthesized by low-temperature method and immobilized onto the surface of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) pellets prepared by phase inversion method. Results by FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that the ZnS nanoparticles were immobilized tightly on the PVDF surface without their release and losing photocatalytic activity. The UV-absorption spectra showed that the PVDF matrix had no adverse effect on the optical properties of ZnS nanoparticles. Due to large size (5 mm) and excellent mechanical stability, the PVDF-ZnS pellets could be easily dispersed in the photocatalytic reactor treating methylene blue solution. The removal efficiency of the methylene blue with the PVDF-ZnS pellets was higher (more than 95%) than that observed by the control PVDF pellets or ZnS nanoparticles tested. No change in the removal efficiency was observed as the PVDF-ZnS pellets were reused by performing photocatalytic tests at the same experimental conditions repeatedly.