Synthesis and catalytic activity of layered double hydroxide and metal sulfide nanoparticle composites

Abstract

Degradation of methylene blue dye was investigated over heterogenous catalytic process using layered double hydroxide and metal sulfide nanoparticle composites. CuCo2S4/NiFe LDH nanocomposites were synthesized using hydrothermal method, and the composites were characterized by SEM and XRD techniques. CuCo2S4 and NiFe LDH were formed with an average particle in the range of 350-450 nm and 2200-3500 nm, respectively. The composites were loaded at 1.8, 3.4, 5.2 and 9.9 wt% of CuCo2S4. CuCo2S4, NiFe LDH and CuCo2S4/NiFe LDH composites were tested at the same condition for methylene blue degradation. The 18CuCo2S4/NiFe LDH composites provided higher catalytic degradation of methylene blue compared to both CuCo2S4 and NiFe LDH through Fenton-like reaction. Effect of pH, dye concentration, amount of catalyst and amount of H2O2 were studied. At the optimized condition of 18CuCo2S4/NiFe LDH nanocomposites, percent degradation of methylene reached 97.9 within 240 min. Proposed mechanisms were investigated. CuCo2S4/ NiFe LDH nanocomposites prepared in this work were proved to be efficient catalysts for wastewater treatment application.