Conducting polymer composite aerogel with magnetic properties for organic dye removal

Abstract

Multifunctional conducting polyaniline/hexaferrite aerogels supported by poly(vinyl alcohol) have been prepared by simple one-step procedure. The incorporation of magnetic particles into aerogel matrix was successfully proven with scanning electron microscopy and by examination of magnetic properties. Such novel hybrid aerogels showed better resistance against elastic deformation when stress is applied, increased conductivity compared to neat polyaniline/poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogels, and also enhanced coercive force compared with neat hexaferrite due to increased effective magnetic anisotropy by magnetostriction. Moreover, the efficient adsorption of Reactive Black 5 dye by aerogel has been illustrated. Therefore, this work offers new type of macroporous dye adsorbents which can be efficiently separated from the aqueous medium and thus used for wastewater treatment. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.