Magnetoconductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/maghemite adsorbent for the removal of Reactive Black 5 from aqueous media

Efficient removal of organic dyes has attained significant attention for environmental safety concerns. In the current study, the adsorption of toxic anionic dye, Reactive Black 5 (RB), by using magnetoconductive poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/maghemite composite is demonstrated. A simple one step synthesis was adopted to prepare PEDOT/maghemite composites using ammonium persulphate as an oxidant. The morphology of obtained composites confirmed the incorporation of maghemite particles into the PEDOT matrix. The presence of maghemite in the composites was also revealed by XRD analysis. With the increase in maghemite amount, an improvement in the specific surface area and magnetic properties of the composites were observed. Thus, the PEDOT composite with largest wt % of maghemite was selected as an adsorbent for the dye removal from aqueous medium. The removal efficiency of similar to 95% was observed for RB dye using PEDOT/maghemite composite. It is one of the earliest reports of PEDOT/maghemite which shows the removal of RB from aqueous medium with promising adsorption behavior. The complete decolorization of dye solution and its easy separation by external magnetic field allow future applications of PEDOT/maghemite in industrial waste water treatment and remediation.