Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Journal of Polymers and the Environment https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-017-1131-1 ORIGINAL PAPER Rapid Discoloration of Methyl Orange in Water by Conductive Cu/ Cu 2 O/rGO Modified Polyester Fabric Atousa Moazami 1  · Majid Montazer 2  · Mehdi Kamali Dolatabadi 1 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2017 Abstract A new rapid dye removal method is introduced by using a conductive polyester fabric prepared through in-situ synthesis of Cu/Cu 2 O/rGO nanocomposites. Cu 2 O and Cu nanoparticles were deposited on the polyester fabric with triangular, spherical and rod-like shapes due to introducing GO nanosheets and EDTA into the synthesis media. The cauliflower-like Cu/Cu 2 O/ rGO nanocomposites coated polyester fabric exhibited remarkable removal of methyl orange (MO) in a short time (more than 92% within 30 min). This can be attributed to the shape, presence of GO or EDTA that was subsequently created nano- particles with smaller size, higher electrical conductivity and more specific surface area for removal of MO. Keywords Cu/Cu 2 O nanoparticles · Reduce graphene oxide · Polyester fabric · Methyl orange removal · Electrical resistance Introduction Azo dyes are well known as carcinogenic organic substances and methyl orange (MO), is a sulfonated azo dye, which is extensively used in the textiles, printings, food industries, pharmaceuticals, paper manufacturers and also in research laboratories as the pH indicator [1]. Many chemical and physical methods are available for elimination of dyes from wastewater [2–4]. However, there is a clear need for a novel, cost effective and efficient mate- rials for removal of dyes. Carbon based materials are well- known as adsorbents for dyes [5, 6]. Graphene-based hybrid materials were applied as adsorbent for removal of dyes and photocatalytic degradation of dyes due to the high surface area and π-rich structure [7]. Further rGO offers superior electron conductivity, high heterogeneous electron-transfer rate at the edges and basal plane defect sites. These are propitious to the charge generation and transportation in catalysis processing [8]. It is found that some unique prop- erties useful in practical applications could be achieved with the combination of rGO and Cu 2 O. This is related to a bur- geoning pseudo-two-dimensional carbonaceous nanosheet possessing special characteristics of rGO [9]. Also, the sta- ble catalytic activity of CNT/Cu 2 O cathodes in water treat- ment have been widely explored [10, 11]. According to the literature, Cu 2 O–rGO nanocomposites has been proposed for the removal of MO. The cubic Cu 2 O–rGO nanocomposites demonstrate 100% degradation in 100 min [12]. Considering the remarkable characteristics of Cu 2 O with hierarchical structure [13], rGO and polyester fabric as a substrate, it is expected that combination of these materials exhibit better performance for dye removal and recovery of nanocomposites. In this paper, a fast and highly efficient method for removal of MO dye solution is proposed using Cu/Cu 2 O/rGO nanocomposites coated polyester fabric. Here, the reduction of GO, copper salt to Cu/Cu 2 O and in situ deposition of Cu/Cu 2 O nanoparticles on rGO and polyester fabric simultaneously occurred. Morphology of nanoparticles was changed through introducing EDTA and GO during Cu/Cu 2 O nanoparticles preparation that led to short time dye removal. Moreover, polyester fabric makes isolation of nanocomposites easier, avoiding environmental contamination from the processing. * Majid Montazer tex5mm@aut.ac.ir 1 Department of Textile Engineering, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran 2 Department of Textile, Functional Fibrous Structures & Environmental Enhancement (FFSEE), Amirkabir Nanotechnology Research Institue (ANTRI), Amirkabir University of Technology, Hafez Avenue, Tehran, Iran