For environmental preservation, it is crucial to effectively remove organic waste from water. Several approaches have been put forth, but photocatalysis stands out as a quick and effective solution. In this study, some hybrid polymeric structures that were created by photopolymerizing cellulose acetate/castor oil urethane methacrylates with embedded CeO2 nanoparticles (NPs) and in situ photogenerated noble metal nanoparticles (Ag, Au, Pd) are characterized, and photochemically thoroughly evaluated. The effective modification of cellulose acetate with urethane methacrylate sequences and the degree of functionalization were first observed using 1H NMR and FTIR spectra. Additionally, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, FT-IR and UV-visible spectroscopy were utilized to analyse the resultant nanocomposites. The homogeneous dispersion of CeO2 NPs (10-40 nm) into an organic matrix with the suitable functionalities, namely urethane and hydroxyl groups, favour the interfacial charge transfer reducing the Eg up to 2.85 eV. Moreover, noble metal nanoparticles (5-15 nm), such as Ag, Au and Pd introduction in nanocomposites, significantly lowered the Eg: 2.1 eV for CeAg samples, 1.7 eV for CeAu films and 1.5 eV for CePd films, respectively. This opens up new avenues for the creation of flexible cellulose-based photocatalysts that are active in visible light.
Keywords: CeO(2) NPs photocatalyst; Noble metal nanoparticles; Urethane-methacrylate cellulose acetate.
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