THE SYNTHESIS OF POLYLACTIC ACID POLYMER COATED WITH Ag2O-TiO2 NANOPARTICLES AND ITS PHOTO-CATALYTIC ACTIVITY

Interest in the green synthesis of PLA-Ag2O-TiO2 nanoparticles has exploded in recent decades due to the need to develop cost-effective and environmentally friendly processes. A novel method to develop different kinds of nanomaterials is green synthesis. This study employed an eco-friendly synthesis method that produced Ag2O-TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) using polylactic acid (PLA). The XRD pattern of TiO2 powder containing 1 mmol of silver nitrate with leaf extract, the crystal phase is found to be anatase in all samples. The FTIR spectra show peaks for O-H stretching vibrations, bending vibrations, and Ti-OH surface groups. Co-doped TiO2 intensity reduces, with efficient dispersion of silver, and no clusters. The morphology and structure of the prepared samples were examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), revealing a spherical Ag2O-TiO2 nanocomposite with slightly agglomerated powder particles. The size was determined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The size of leaf extract Ag2O-TiO2 nanoparticles were30 ± 5 nm. The study investigated the photocatalytic properties of pesticide residues in water, with a nanocatalyst. The samples were exposed to sunlight and filtered through a 0.45µm PTFE membrane filter. The findings revealed that the presence of a catalyst significantly reduced the samples' half-life, indicating that nanoparticles are an effective photocatalyst for removing pesticide residues.