Polydopamine-coated open cell polyurethane foam as an efficient and easy-to-regenerate soft structured catalytic support (S2CS) for the reduction of dye

- We report a novel soft structured catalytic support (S2CS@Polydopamine).
- This tool is inexpensive, easy to filtrate, and easy to regenerate for the removal of dye.
- It is possible to dope the S2CS@PDA with Ag NPs.

Commercially available open cell polyurethane foams (OCPUF) are coated with polydopamine (OCPUF@PDA) and used as highly efficient Soft Structured Catalytic Support (S2CS) for the removal of a methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions in the presence of sodium borohydride (NaBH4). The process relies on the probable dual role of NaBH4 that, on one hand, would allow MB to be adsorbed on the surface of OCPUF by forming an ionic pair, and on the other, would play the role of an electron-donor with the PDA layer acting as an electron relay toward the electron-acceptor dye. The catalytic activity of the PDA layer can be doped with Ag nanoparticules (NPs) by simple dipping the structured OCPUF@PDA in a solution of silver nitrate. All S2CS prepared (OCPUF, OCPUF@PDA and OCPUF@PDA@Ag) were then evaluated and compared. The readily prepared OCPUF@PDA has potential application in wastewater treatment in the presence of NaBH4.

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