Stage 2 (2019):

In the second stage of the project, the following activities were carried out:

Activity 2.1. Synthesis of monomers and the obtaining of hybrid composite polymer films by photopolymerization technique
synthesis of monomers and films by photopolymerization technique;
characterization of the synthesized materials by FT-IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and other techniques.

Activity 2.2. Incorporation of ZnO micro/nanoparticles in polymeric matrices
incorporation of simple ZnO or doped ZnO into organic matrices;
in situ generation of micro/nanoparticles during the photopolymerization reaction.

Activity 2.3. Characterization of the obtained polymer films
characterization of the obtained materials by TEM, ESEM/EDX, as well as other characterization methods, to identify their specific characteristics.

Activity 2.4. Photocatalytic studies
photocatalytic degradation studies of an organic dye under visible light irradiation in the presence of hybrid films;
monitoring the changes in the UV-Vis absorption spectra of the dye solution as a function of the irradiation time.

Results
A new monomer was synthesized and his structure was confirmed by 1H NMR, 13C NMR and FTIR techniques.
A series of hybrid composites were synthesized by photopolymerization using a combination of monomers together with metal particles.
FTIR measurements indicated a good photoreactivity of the monomers in the photopolymerization process, observed either in the absence or in the presence of metal particles.
The incorporation and homogeneous distribution of the particles in the organic phase was fully confirmed by ESEM/EDX and TEM measurements.
The photocatalytic activity experiments highlighted that the prepared cube-shaped ZnO-SnO2-based photocatalyst displayed an excellent photocatalytic activity.

Dissemination
The scientific results were disseminated as two scientific papers sent for publication and three posters:

Scientific papers
1. Stable photocatalysts based on ZnO and doped ZnO included in photopolymerized films for efficient photocatalytic degradation of Malachite Green dye, Viorica-Elena Podasca, Tinca Buruiana, Mariana-Dana Damaceanu, Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry (2019).
2. Fabrication of new ZnO doped Ag composites for highly efficient visible-light photocatalysis in the degradation of organic dye, Viorica-Elena Podasca, Mariana-Dana Damaceanu, Applied Surface Science (2019).

Posters
1. Preparation and photocatalytic properties of polymer hybrid composites containing ZnO doped Ag particles, Viorica-Elena Podasca, Mariana-Dana Damaceanu, Tinca Buruiana, 21st Romanian International Conference on Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (RICCCE21), September 4-7, 2019, Constanta-Mamaia, Romania.
- Program RICCCE 2019 conference

2. Sinteza si activitatea fotocatalitica a unor compozite hibride continand ZnO dopat, Viorica-Elena Podasca, Mariana-Dana Damaceanu, Tinca Buruiana, Zilele Academice Iesene a XXVII-a Sesiune de Comunicari Stiintifice a Institutului de Chimie Macromoleculara „Petru Poni” Iasi, Progrese in stiinta compusilor organici si macromoleculari (ZAI 2019), 2-4 octombrie 2019, Iasi, Romania.
- Program ZAI

3. Synthesis of polymer composites containing ZnO doped Ag particles for photocatalytic degradation of organic dyes, Viorica-Elena Podasca, Mariana-Dana Damaceanu, Tinca Buruiana, International Conference Achievements and Perspectives of Modern Chemistry, October 9-11, 2019, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova.
- Chisinau Conference program