Synthesis of Biopolymer-Metal Oxide Nanomaterials for Efficient Photocatalysis

Chitosan-MgO composite is an advanced, bio-nanocomposite that widely applied in biomedicine such as wound healing, targeted drug delivery, environmental cleanup like wastewater remediation, dye degradation and also advanced materials ceramics, fire-retardant coatings and chemical catalysis.The MgO-chitosan nanocomposite operates as a highly efficient bifunctional material (acting as both an adsorbent and a visible-light photocatalyst) to eliminate and degrade organic pollutants from aqueous environments.

In the present study, Chitosan Magnesium oxide nanocomposite (CMN) synthesized via green synthesis method using guava leaf extract. On continues stirring with Magnesium acetate and Chitosan in glacial acetic acid in ambient temperature leads to the formation of nanocomposite. The resulting material was analyzed using Uv-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The photocatalytic efficiency assessed through degradation of paracetamol, methylene blue and crystal violet. By anchoring inorganic magnesium oxide nanoparticles within a renewable chitosan matrix, the resulting composite overcomes the structural limitations of raw biopolymers such as poor thermal stability and excessive swelling while unlocking powerful new chemical capabilities. CMN provides active photocatalytic metal sites that generate reactive oxygen species under radiation and the chitosan matrix provides excellent binding sites and prevents nanoparticle agglomeration. The synthesized CMN represents a highly versatile, sustainable, and high-performance biopolymer material that successfully bridges the gap between green chemistry and advanced material engineering.