Ag-BN/HNT-TiO2 nanofibers produced by electrospinning as catalysts to remove acetaminophen

Mahmoud Abid; Igor Iatsunskyi; Emerson Coy; Geoffroy Lesage; Abdesslem Ben Haj Amara; Mikhael Bechelany

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24740

Ag-BN/HNT-TiO₂ nanofibers produced by electrospinning as catalysts to remove acetaminophen

Heliyon. 2024 Jan 17;10(2):e24740. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24740. eCollection 2024 Jan 30.

Authors

Mahmoud Abid^{1

2

3}, Igor Iatsunskyi⁴, Emerson Coy⁴, Geoffroy Lesage¹, Abdesslem Ben Haj Amara², Mikhael Bechelany^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Institut Européen des Membranes, IEM, UMR 5635, Univ Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, 34730, Montpellier, France.
² Laboratory of Resources, Materials & Ecosystem (RME), University of Carthage, Faculty of Sciences of Bizerte, Zarzouna, 7021, Tunisia.
³ CNRS, Grenoble INP, LMGP, Institute of Engineering, Université Grenoble Alpes, 38000, Grenoble, France.
⁴ NanoBioMedical Centre, Adam Mickiewicz University, Wszechnicy Piastowskiej 3, 61-614, Poznan, Poland.
⁵ Gulf University for Science and Technology, GUST, Kuwait.

Abstract

In this study, we present a novel approach to enhancing the degradation of acetaminophen (ACT) using nanostructured hybrid nanofibers. The hybrid nanofibers were produced by employing both sol-gel and electrospinning methodologies, integrating precise quantities of silver (Ag) and boron nitride (BN) nanosheets into titanium oxide (TiO₂) nanofibers and halloysite nanotubes (HNT). We extensively examined the morphology, structure, and optical properties of these materials by employing scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in our analysis. In the case of the HNT-TiO₂ composite, the introduction of Ag nanoparticles at concentrations of 0.5%, 1.5%, and 3% led to a significant improvement in photocatalytic activity. Under visible light exposure for 4 h, the photocatalytic activity increased from 63% (HNT-TiO₂) to 78.92%, 91.21%, and 92.90%, respectively. This enhancement can be attributed to the role of Ag nanoparticles as co-catalysts, facilitating the separation of electrons and holes generated during the photocatalytic process. Furthermore, BN nanosheets served as co-catalysts, capitalizing on their distinct attributes, including exceptional thermal conductivity, chemical stability, and electrical insulation. The incorporation of BN nanosheets into the Ag (3%)/HNT-TiO₂ composite at a concentration of 5% resulted in a remarkable increase in ACT degradation efficiency. The degradation efficiency improved from 59.47% to an impressive 99.29% within a 2-h irradiation period due to the presence of BN nanosheets. Toxicity and scavenging assays revealed that OH^•-, O₂^•-, and h⁺ were the major contributors to ACT degradation. Moreover, across five consecutive cycles, the Ag-BN/HNT-TiO₂ composite exhibited consistent and stable performance, underscoring the significant contributions of Ag and BN in augmenting the photocatalytic capabilities of the composite. Overall, our findings suggest that this novel hybrid nanofiber composite holds great promise for practical applications in environmental remediation due to its improved photocatalytic activity and stability.

Keywords: Acetaminophen; Boron nitride; Halloysite nanotubes; Nanofibers; Photocatalysis; Silver nanoparticles.