Simple in-situ functionalization of polyaniline with boroncarbonitride as potential multipurpose photocatalyst: Generation of hydrogen, organic and inorganic pollutant detoxification

Research in material chemistry is inspiring scholars across the globe in designing multifunctional materials to fight against energy and environmental issues. In this view, the present work defines functionalization of polyaniline (PANI) with boroncarbonitride (BCN) through in-situ polymerization that gives multifunctional hybrid (BCN@PANI) material. The synthesized materials, PANI, BCN and BCN@PANI are subjected to morphological and structural characterization using various techniques. These materials are utilized for the photocatalytic evolution of hydrogen, removal of Malachite green (MG; organic pollutant) synthetic dye and Cr(VI) (inorganic pollutant) from aqueous solution. Enhanced activity of BCN@PANI hybrid has been observed for hydrogen evolution (12.3 mmolg⁻¹) when compared to pure PANI (1.2 mmolg⁻¹) and pristine BCN (6 mmolg⁻¹). The same trend has been observed for the photocatalytic removal of MG, where the complete decolouration was achieved within 90 min under sunlight and degradation efficiency was found to be 94 %. The photocatalytic reduction of Cr(VI) was achieved successfully by BCN@PANI hybrid material and the efficiency was found to be 78 % in a time of 2 h. The plausible mechanism of photocatalysis has been given on the basis of ESR spectroscopic analysis. The BCN@PANI hybrid could serve as a material of choice for the photocatalysis studies as it is having good stability and recyclability.