Preparation of site-specific Z-scheme g-C3N4/PAN/PANI@LaFeO3 cable nanofiber membranes by coaxial electrospinning: Enhancing filtration and photocatalysis performance

Yihang Mao; Li Lin; Yuexing Chen; Mingrui Yang; Li Zhang; Xianxiang Dai; Qing He; Yuanyuan Jiang; Hui Chen; Jinqiu Liao; Yunsong Zhang; Ying Wang

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138553

Preparation of site-specific Z-scheme g-C₃N₄/PAN/PANI@LaFeO₃ cable nanofiber membranes by coaxial electrospinning: Enhancing filtration and photocatalysis performance

Chemosphere. 2023 Jul:328:138553. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138553. Epub 2023 Mar 31.

Authors

Yihang Mao¹, Li Lin¹, Yuexing Chen², Mingrui Yang¹, Li Zhang¹, Xianxiang Dai¹, Qing He¹, Yuanyuan Jiang¹, Hui Chen³, Jinqiu Liao³, Yunsong Zhang⁴, Ying Wang⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan 625014, China.
² Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000, Israel.
³ College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan 625014, China.
⁴ College of Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan 625014, China. Electronic address: yaanyunsong@sicau.edu.cn.
⁵ College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan 625014, China. Electronic address: wangying@sicau.edu.cn.

PMID: 37004820
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2023.138553

Abstract

The coaxial electrospinning method for preparation of g-C₃N₄/polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/polyaniline (PANI)@LaFeO₃ cable fiber membrane (PC@PL) was designed for adsorption-filtration-photodegradation of pollutants. A series of characterization results show that LaFeO₃ and g-C₃N₄ nanoparticles (NPs) are respectively loaded in the inner and outer layers of PAN/PANI composite fibers to construct the site-specific Z-type heterojunction system with spatially separated morphologies. The PANI in cable not only possesses abundant exposed amino/imino functional groups for adsorption of contaminant molecules but also due to the excellent electrical conductivity works as a redox medium for collecting and consuming the electrons and holes from LaFeO₃ and g-C₃N₄, which can efficiently promote photo-generated charge carriers separation and improve the catalytic performance. Further investigations demonstrate that as a photo-Fenton catalyst LaFeO₃ in PC@PL catalyzes/activates the H₂O₂ generated in situ by LaFeO₃/g-C₃N₄, further enhancing the decontamination efficiency of the PC@PL. The porous, hydrophilic, antifouling, flexible and reusable properties of the PC@PL membrane significantly enhance the mass transfer efficiency of reactants by filtration effect and increase the amount of dissolved oxygen, thus producing massive •OH for degradation of pollutants, which maintains the water flux (1184 L m^-2. h^-1 (LMH)) and the rejection rate (98.5%). Profiting from its unique synergistic effect of adsorption, photo-Fenton and filtration, PC@PL exhibits wonderful self-cleaning performance and distinguished removal rate for methylene blue (97.0%), methyl violet (94.3%), ciprofloxacin (87.6%) and acetamiprid (88.9%) within 75 min, disinfection (100% Escherichia coli (E. coli) and 80% Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) inactivation)) and excellent cycle stability.

Keywords: Coaxial-structured fibers; Filtration; Oxidation-reduction; Site-specific; Z-scheme heterostructure.

MeSH terms

Escherichia coli
Hydrogen Peroxide
Nanofibers*

Substances

polyaniline
polyacrylonitrile
Hydrogen Peroxide