Photocatalytic degradation of pesticide intermediate using green eco-friendly amino functionalized cellulose nanocomposites

Abstract In this work, a simple technique was used as a tool for combining of carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) with Tryptophan (Tryp). A new organic/inorganic cellulosic composite was fabricated by embedding different amounts of TiO2 nanoparticles (ranged from 0 to 4%) into CMC/Tryp hybrid material. FT-IR and X-ray analysis confirmed the structure of the new composite (CMC/Tryp/TiO2). The changes in the surface morphology were identified by SEM. The computational calculation of CMC, Tryp, and CMC/Tryp by DFT/ B3LYP/6-31G (d) basis sets was studied. The new composites were investigated for their ability to act as catalyst for photodegradation of pesticide intermediate (2,4-dichlorophenol; 2,4-DCP). Surprising performance was obtained by increasing the amount of TiO2 onto the composite, the rate of degradation was increased by 11.6 times in the case of 4% TiO2 more than 0% TiO2. Also, the prepared composites displayed excellent antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger.