Polymer immobilized Fe(III) complex of 2-phenylbenzimidazole: An efficient catalyst for photodegradation of dyes under UV/Visible light irradiation

Fe(III) complex of 2-phenylbenzimidazole has been covalently anchored on polymer and characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, far-IR, BET surface area measurements, UV–Vis/DRS spectroscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis and magnetic moment measurements by VSM which confirmed an octahedral environment around Fe(III) in the bound complex. The photocatalytic performance of this complex was evaluated in the photodegradation of dyes in presence of H₂O₂ as an oxidizing agent. Suitable reaction conditions have been optimized by considering the effects of various reaction parameters such as pH, oxidants, concentration of dye, H₂O₂ and catalyst for the maximum degradation of dye. The photodegradation was found to be 100% with complete mineralization in 150?min. The comparison of photocatalytic efficiency of the catalyst under visible light, sunlight and dark conditions are accomplished. Comparison between catalytic activity of the polymer-supported complex and unbound complex demonstrated that the polymer-supported complex was more active. Photocatalytic performance of PS-Fe(III)PBMZL was also compared with commercial TiO₂ (P25). This heterogeneous complex retained its activity up to 8 runs. A tentative mechanism has been proposed.