Physico-Mechanical Study of CMC/BFO/PoPD Nanocomposite Films Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNCMCC) for Effective Photocatalytic Removal of Methyl Orange

Abstract

The present study was conducted to develop a nanocomposite film of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals isolated from microcrystalline cellulose (CNCMCC) in the presence of bismuth ferrite (BFO)/poly-o-phenylenediamine (PoPD). The physicochemical properties, the mechanical and thermal stability, and its photocatalytic activity towards the removal of methyl orange (MO) were determined. Results show that the integration of CNCMCC into the CMC matrix enhanced the mechanical strength of the film. The tensile strength (TS) of the nanocomposite film increased from 0.205 to 0.244 MPa, while elongation at break (EB) decreased from 201.44 to 168.78% in the presence of 20 wt.% of CNCMCC. The incorporation of CNCMCC in the CMC matrix substantially enhanced the nanocomposite’s thermal stability from 181.16 to 185.59 °C and decreased the degradation residue from 72.64 to 63.16%. The determination of the photocatalytic activity of the CMC/CNCMCC/BFO/PoPD composite film revealed the removal of methyl orange (MO) of 93.64% with high structural integrity after 3 h of treatment. Thus, the isolated CNCMCC-reinforced CMC/BFO/PoPD composite film can be used as a photocatalyst for the removal of organic pollutants from wastewater, including the methyl orange.