Abstract

A novel nanocomposite of polyvinyl alcohol formaldehyde (PVF) sponge loaded with green zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP) and referred to as (NP-PVF) was fabricated as a potential adsorbent of ciprofloxacin from water. A simple mechanical foaming process was used to synthesize the adsorbent. Rice husk extract was used to synthesize zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONP) for its phytochemicals as reducing agents. A facile and low-energy-dependent extraction method was used that did not require the use of high-temperature annealing. The synthesized nanoparticles showed a maximum UV absorption at 347 nm, which corresponds to a 3.58 eV band gap energy. FTIR confirmed the successful synthesis of the nanoparticles and the composite, which showed the distinct band of metal-oxygen at [600-400] cm-1, which also appeared in the nanocomposite. XRD showed that the particles have a wurtzite structure, whereas the composite has an amorphous structure. The hydrodynamic particle size of the green zinc oxide was 758.33±16.8 nm, and the point of zero charge of ZnONP and NP-PVF was at +2.78 and +1.82, respectively. The nanosize of the particles was confirmed by TEM, which showed a mean size of 31.34nm. The elemental composition of ZnONP and NP-PVF was investigated using EDX. The nanocomposite showed super-hydrophilic performance due to its high content of hydroxyl groups. No enhancement in the thermal stability of NP-PVF was observed compared to the pristine PVF. The nanocomposite showed a reduction in the swelling degree compared to the PVF sponge to reach 461.92±19.41% and 94.23±0.4% after 1 hour for PVF and NP-PVF, respectively. The nanocomposite showed similar mechanical properties to the pristine PVF, recording a tensile strength of 37.83±6.52 KPa and a Young’s modulus of 34.03±5.21 KPa. The nanocomposite showed an irregular macroporous structure and a BET surface area of 0.87 m2/g. The total carbohydrate content was measured for the extract, ZnONP, and NP-PVF to be 43.2±0.094%, 14.3±0.093%, and 21.91±0.088%, respectively. In addition, the phenolic content was 39.64±0.121, 1.95±0.076, and 0.495±0.036 mg/g gallic acid equivalent, respectively. The antioxidant activities of the rice husk extract, green nanoparticles, and NP-PVF composite were also studied. NP-PVF was tested for its potential adsorption of ciprofloxacin. The optimal adsorption conditions were 10% nanoparticle load, 243 mg sponge dose, pH 6, initial concentration of 100 mg/L, and equilibrium time between 100 and 120 minutes. The maximum removal of ciprofloxacin obtained by applying these conditions was 81.17±0.17%. Ciprofloxacin adsorption using NP-PVF composite was best described by the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second-order model. In sum, the NP-PVF nanocomposite has the potential to remove ciprofloxacin from water efficiently. As PVF is rich with hydroxyl groups, it could be further modified to target different contaminants.

School

School of Sciences and Engineering

Department

Nanotechnology Program

Degree Name

MS in Nanotechnology

Graduation Date

Summer 6-15-2025

Submission Date

5-25-2025

First Advisor

Tamer Shoeib

Second Advisor

Mayyada El-Sayed

Committee Member 1

Ahmad AlAkraa

Committee Member 2

Ahmed ElGendy

Committee Member 3

Ehab ElSawy

Extent

135p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

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Available for download on Monday, May 25, 2026

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