Fabrication of a bifunctionalized photocatalyst/hydrogel composite for the degradation of particulate matter (PM)-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs)

In this study, a bifunctionalized photocatalyst/hydrogel composite material (ZnO/PAM-PVA) was fabricated on aluminum wire mesh via the coinitiators ammonium persulfate (APS) and a self-initiated zinc oxide (ZnO) photocatalyst. Acrylamide (AM) was blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), N,N-methylene-bis-acrylamide (NMBA) was used as a crosslinker, and ZnO was used as a photocatalyst. After fabrication, the aluminum wire mesh presented two different appearances depending on the major initiator component on each side. The photocatalytic activity of the prepared hydrogel composite material under sunlight irradiation was examined for the degradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in particulate matter (PM) from various smoke sources. The results revealed that the ZnO/PAM-PVA hydrogel composite material was effective for the removal of PAHs. After 2 h of sunlight irradiation, the amounts of individual PAHs in PM samples significantly decreased. Therefore, the ZnO/PAM-PVA hydrogel composite could be applied as a promising photocatalytic material for air purification.

Automated summary

In this study, a bifunctionalized photocatalyst/hydrogel composite material was fabricated and it exhibited good degradation effect on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) under sunlight irradiation, making it promising for air purification.