Degradation of Methylene Blue with a Cu(II)-Quinoline Complex Immobilized on a Silica Support as a Photo-Fenton-Like Catalyst

A Cu(II)-quinoline complex immobilized on a silica support was prepared to enhance the degradation of dyes. Mesoporous silica functionalized with this Cu(II) complex was turned into a photo-Fenton-like catalyst. Various techniques were used to characterize the resulting material, and the catalytic activity was determined by the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV light irradiation. The Cu(II) ion was successfully coordinated to the quinoline ligand on a silica support. The dye degradation investigation has shown that 95% of the dye was degraded in 2.5 h. The active radical species involved in the reaction were OH center dot and O-2(center dot-), suggesting that a peroxo complex intermediate might be formed during degradation processes.