Functionalized of wax-magnetic nanocomposite (Fe3O4/PE) pellets by radiation grafting of PAAc for safe dye removal

Abstract Gamma radiation has been used for the fabrication of polyethylene (PE) wax from low density polyethylene pellets composited with 30wt% magnetic oxide Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The surface of (PE/Fe3O4) pellets was grafted by acrylic acid AAc using gamma irradiation techniques. A polarity of COOH groups support (PE/Fe3O4) uses, where functionalization give it facilities to be ready in hydrophilic and/or hydrophobic environments and increasing the capability in adsorbing wide variety of dyes molecules. Wax increases the stability and this will help to improve the recyclability of (PE-g-PAAc)/Fe3O4; recyclability is also helped by Fe3O4, compared to traditional dye adsorbents. The grafted polyethylene wax can serve as a good adsorbent support for a large variety of dyes. The chemical structure of the modified PE surface was achieved by a grafting process using attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Samples of (PE-g-PAAc)/Fe3O4 have been characterized for water uptake and surface morphology using a scanning electron microscope (SEM); the crystal structure has been determined using X-ray diffraction; and dye removal efficiency was assessed using toluidine blue (TB) as a model.