Photodegradation of dye using Polythiophene/ZnO nanocomposite: A computational approach

Incorporating nanostructured photocatalysts in polymers is a strategic way to obtain novel water purification systems. Here, we present density functional theory (DFT) study of Polythiophene/Zinc oxide (PTh/ZnO) nanocomposite with high photocatalytic performance and stability which exhibits superior degradation of ali-zarine dye under the visible light condition with interaction energy of-149.55 kcal/mol between conducting polymer (PTh) and metal oxide, with PTh sponsoring more number of electrons to the conduction band of ZnO. The electrical and optical properties of optimized geometries of PTh/ZnO nanocomposite were studied by frontier molecular orbital analysis, natural bond orbital (NBO) charge simulation, natural electronic configu-ration, and UV-vis absorption spectra. The modulation of the energy band gap (similar to 2.60 eV) and exciton binding energy (similar to 0.36 eV) causes visible light absorption and hence enhances the photodegradation activity of PTh/ ZnO. NBO analysis evidences the electron accepting behavior of ZnO in the composites as it withdraws electron cloud density of about 0.14e from the polymer unit.

Automated summary

Incorporating nanostructured photocatalysts in polymers is a strategic approach to develop innovative water purification systems. This study presents a density functional theory investigation on the Polythiophene/Zinc oxide (PTh/ZnO) nanocomposite, which exhibits high photocatalytic performance and stability for the degradation of ali-zarine dye under visible light. The study explores the optimized geometries, electrical and optical properties, and the charge transfer behavior of the nanocomposite.