Cellulose Acetate (CA) Membrane Tailored with Fe3O4@ZnO Core Shell Nanoparticles: Fabrication, Structural analysis and Its Adsorption Analysis

Cellulose acetate polymer membrane was fabricated with Fe3O4@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles through phase inversion technique to enhance the hydrophilic &antifouling properties. The morphology, crystallinity, porosity and surface area of the core shell nanoparticles incorporated membrane were examined using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), High-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) /Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) studies. The contact angle measurement and wettability test prove the improvement of the hydrophilicity of the membrane with the addition of nanocomposite materials. Adsorption test were performed with the of model dyes such as Congo red (Anionic dye) and Malachite Green (Cationic dye) were investigated using Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The adsorption percentage against Congo Red (CR) and for Malachite green (MG) were found to be 93 % and 70 % respectively. Kinetic studies exhibits the rate of the reaction, for CR dye it shows R-2=0.9471 and R-2=0.8609 for MG dye, which obeys the pseudo first order reaction. In addition, the adsorption isotherm model as Langmuir shows that KI values are 0.00338(L/mg) and 0.0486(L/mg) respectively. Desorption studies exhibits the maximum desorption of dye for Congo red is 89 % and 83 % for Malachite Green.In a recyclability process, membrane material adsorbs 90 % of Congo red dye and 63 % of Malachite green dye.

Automated summary

The cellulose acetate polymer membrane was fabricated with Fe3O4@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles to enhance hydrophilic and antifouling properties. The incorporation of core-shell nanoparticles improved the membrane's properties and adsorption performance, as demonstrated through XRD, FT-IR, HR-SEM, HR-TEM/EDX studies, contact angle measurement, wettability test, and adsorption studies with model dyes. Additionally, desorption and recyclability studies showed promising results for the membrane material in the removal of Congo red and Malachite green dyes.