Scientists from the University of the Philippines - Diliman College of Science (UPD-CS) and their colleagues from Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR) have recently investigated a material that safely degrades azo dyes.

Enrico Daniel R. Legaspi, Prof. Michelle D. Regulacio, and Leila Andrea E. Pineda from the Institute of Chemistry (UPD-CS IC), along with Luce Vida A. Sayson from the Material Science and Engineering Program (UPD-CS MSEP), collaborated with colleagues from A*STAR to research a nanocomposite material that exhibits a flower-like structure.

Each of these materials has a diameter of approximately 50 nanometers or less, which is less than half the width of a human hair. They consist of a gold (Au) core surrounded by petal-like copper oxide (Cu2O) crystals.

"It was found that this configuration greatly enhances Cu2O’s ability to catalyze the breakdown of azo dyes into harmless chemicals," UPD said in a statement.

Azo dyes are synthetic colorants available in a wide range of vibrant colors, including red, orange, and yellow. This is a common material from denim and leather to soft drinks and jam.

However, it has been recently discovered that Azo dyes are closely linked with bladder cancer.

Thus, these carcinogenic Azo dyes' regulated use and safe disposal remain a global concern.

To address the concern, researchers simplified the process of creating microscale composite flowers capable of neutralizing the extremely carcinogenic azo dyes found in food, clothing, and other medications.

According to the scientists, this is the first time this flower-like structure has been produced in a single manufacturing setting, opening up the way for easier and more affordable production.

"The one-pot synthesis protocol presented in this work is a more straightforward and less laborious approach that does not require a separate pre-synthesis step. Furthermore, the synthesis can be conveniently performed at ambient conditions using nontoxic reagents," the researchers said.

"The uniquely designed Au-Cu2O nanoflowers were found to effectively catalyze the borohydride-mediated degradation of synthetic azo dyes. The hybrid exhibited superior catalytic activity relative to pristine Cu2O, underscoring the significance of creating a nanocomposite," they added.