Dual phototransformation of the pollutants methyl orange and Cr (VI) using phthalocyanine-cobalt ferrite based magnetic nanocomposites.

Bifunctional nanocomposites based on zinc phthalocyanines and glutathione capped CoFeO magnetic nanoparticles (GSH-CoFeO MNPs) are applied in a binary system wherein simultaneous photooxidation of methyl orange (MO) and photoreduction of Cr (VI) are conducted. The photoactivity of two zinc Pcs with different functional moieties are compared based on their interactions with GSH-CoFeO MNPs. Conjugation of the Pcs to the GSH-CoFeO MNPs not only enhanced their singlet oxygen production but also their photocatalytic activity in both photooxidation and photoreduction experiments. Using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, the Pc-MNP conjugates reported herein were found to exhibit superparamagnetic behaviour, giving the advantage of easy separation using an external magnetic field post application, an attractive attribute for heterogeneous catalysis. The catalysts reported herein are therefore good candidates as catalysts for real life water purification analyses as they facilitate the treatment of both organic and inorganic water pollutants.