Hexagonal mesoporous silica modified with copper phthalocyanine as a photocatalyst for pesticide 2,4-dichlorophenoxiacetic acid degradation

A new mesoporous catalyst was prepared by the reaction between 3-aminopropyltrimethoxisylane and Cu(II)-hexadecafluorophthalocyanine, followed by co-condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate around a micelle formed by n-dodecylamine. The surfactant was removed from the pores by continuous extraction with ethanol, giving the Si–CuF16Pc catalyst. This catalyst was characterized by SEM, FTIR, TGA, 29Si NMR, N2 adsorption and X-ray diffraction. SEM images confirmed that the catalyst material is formed by nanoaggregates with a diameter of 100 nm. N2 adsorption isotherms showed that Si–CuF16Pc has a surface area of approximately 200 m2 g−1 and a porous diameter of 7.7 nm, characterizing the mesoporosity of this product. This novel material shows an excellent photocatalytic activity, degrading almost 90% of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) up to 30 min, while only approximately 40% of photodegradation was obtained in its absence.

Graphical abstractThe mesoporous catalyst was prepared by Cu(II)-hexadecafluorophthalocyanine covalently bonded inside hexagonal mesoporous silica. This material shows excellent catalytic activity for the photodegradation of the 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid up to 30 min.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide