Facile Synthesis of SrCO₃-Sr(OH)₂/PPy Nanocomposite with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity under Visible Light

Pyrrole monomer was chemically polymerized onto SrCO₃-Sr(OH)₂ powders to obtain SrCO₃-Sr(OH)₂/polypyrrole nanocomposite to be used as a candidate for photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue dye (MB). The material was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV/Vis spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). It was observed from transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) analysis that the reported synthesis route allows the production of SrCO₃-Sr(OH)₂ nanoparticles with particle size below 100 nm which were embedded within a semiconducting polypyrrole matrix (PPy). The SrCO₃-Sr(OH)₂ and SrCO₃-Sr(OH)₂/PPy nanocomposites were tested in the photodegradation of MB dye under visible light irradiation. Also, the effects of MB dye initial concentration and the catalyst load on photodegradation efficiency were studied and discussed. Under the same conditions, the efficiency of photodegradation of MB employing the SrCO₃-Sr(OH)₂/PPy nanocomposite increases as compared with that obtained employing the SrCO₃-Sr(OH)₂ nanocomposite.