Abstract
Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a promising photocatalyst that possesses a redox potential suitable for environmental remediation applications. A low photocatalytic yield and high cost have thus far limited the commercial adoption of TiO2-based fixed-bed reactors. One solution is to engineer the physical geometry or chemical composition of the substrate to overcome these limitations. In this work, porous polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) substrates with immobilized TiO2 nanoparticles in fiber forms were fabricated and analyzed to demonstrate the influence of contaminant transport and light accessibility on the overall photocatalytic performance. The influences of (i) fiber porosity and (ii) fiber architecture on the overall photocatalytic performance were investigated. The porous structure was fabricated using wet phase inversion. The core-shell-structured fibers exhibited much higher mechanical properties than the porous fibers (7.52 GPa vs. non-testability) and maintained the same degradation rates as porous structures (0.059 vs. 0.053/min) in removing methylene blue with comparable specific surface areas. The highest methylene blue (MB) degradation rate (kMB) of 0.116 min−1 was observed due to increases of the exposed surface area, pointing to more efficient photocatalysis by optimizing core-shell dimensions. This research provides an easy-to-manufacture and cost-efficient method for producing PMMA/TiO2 core-shell fibers with a broad application in water treatment, air purification, and volatile sensors.
Highlights
Ever-increasing pollution calls for the development of a robust and cheap solution for environmental remediation [1]
TiO2 only anchored to the surface of the porous fibers that had access to light essential for photocatalysis
polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) filaments extruded at a temperature of 275 ◦C had 0.5 and 1.0 mm diameters, respectively (i.e., D5 and D10), based on the extruder sizes
Summary
Ever-increasing pollution calls for the development of a robust and cheap solution for environmental remediation [1]. TiO2 is a wideband semiconductor material that possesses a redox potential capable of decomposing organic contaminants into carbon dioxide and water [3] This advanced oxidation capability makes it suitable for purification applications, such as pollutant capture [4], the treatment of industrial waste [5], and wastewater disinfection [6], but means that it can be used for the reformation of hydrocarbon fuels [7]. Ptiacsatlrfiesbeearrcsh[1h7as].rHepoowrteedvaenr,chtoortihneg bTieOst oonf opoulrymkneroiwc bleeaddgse, previous stud[i1e1s],hmaveme bnroatnecso[m13p],aarneddetlehcetrposhpoutnofciabtearsly[1ti4c].mInecorirtpsooraftiinmgpproorvosiintygimn tahsessetrsuanbsstfrearteasnendheanncheasncing light accesmusnaiibsqsiulitertyaan,rswcphhoitrietcc.htAuirnseodtsheiesrvrceuaspssptwerodoahcpheurrisep.otosecso: aItt radially creates emitting a greater optical fibers surface area with TiO2 [15,16]. This by utilizing the fiber’s lIonngtithuidsinpaal mpeorr,phwoleogryeapnodretntahbelesfraebmroicteatliigohnt aaccnedssicbhiliatyrathctreourigzhaotipotnicaloffibperosl[y1m7].eHthowylevmere, thacrylate (PMMto Ath)e-TbieOst ofif boeurrsk, nmowalnedugfea,cpturerveidousbystuldoiwes-choasvte anontdcosmcaplaarbedlethme epthhootodcsata(Flyitgicumreer1itas–ocf).
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