Electrospun fluorescent polyarylene ether nitrile nanofibrous mats and application as an adsorbent for Cu2+ removal

Abstract

Polyarylene ether nitrile (PEN) nanofibrous mat was fabricated by using the electrospinning technique and activated by using NaOH solution. The adsorption capacity of the activated PEN nanofibrous mat was evaluated using Cu2+ as the model hazardous metal ions. The effects of the contact time and the initial concentration of Cu2+ solution (C0) on the adsorption capacity of the mat were investigated. The adsorption kinetics was better described by the pseudo-second order equation, and the adsorption isotherm was better fitted for the Langmuir equation. Furthermore, the nanofibrous mat possesses the potential of regeneration and reuse. All of the results in this paper show that the PEN nanofibers produced via the electrospinning technique have excellent adsorbent properties toward Cu2+ ions.