Fabrication of charcoal-nickel (II)-poly(acrylic acid) nanocomposite hydrogels for photodegradation of rhodamine B under direct sunlight irradiation

The fabricated hydrogels charcoal-nickel-poly(acrylic acid) (char-Ni-PAA) synthesized by a free-radical polymerization technique was used for rhodamine B dye degradation under direct sunlight irradiation. Different Ni ions compositions were characterized using ATR-FTIR, TGA, EDAX, and SEM techniques. The shift and intensity change of the peaks in the ATR-FTIR spectrum indicated the binding of Ni ions and charcoal onto PAA chains in the hydrogel. EDAX also showed the incorporation of Ni ions into the composites. TGA results revealed the higher thermal stability of the nanocomposite hydrogel. SEM images revealed porous network nanostructures in the composite hydrogels. Ni ions adhered with charcoal provide an environment with high electron mobility to degrade targeted dye molecules under sunlight irradiation. In addition, different surface functional groups…