Abstract
Self-standing photocatalytic membranes constructed from TiO2 nanofibers hold great promise in environmental remediation; however, challenges still remained for the poor mechanical properties of polycrystalline TiO2 nanofibers. Herein, soft Zr-doped TiO2 (TZ) nanofibrous membranes with robust mechanical properties and enhanced photocatalytic activity were fabricated via electrospinning technique. The Zr4+ incorporation could effectively inhibit the grain growth and reduce the surface defects and breaking point of TiO2 nanofiber. The as-prepared TZ membranes were composed of well-interconnected nanofibers with a high aspect ratios, small grain size and pore size, which exhibited good tensile strength (1.32 MPa) and showed no obvious damage after 200 cycles of bending to a radius of 2 mm. A plausible bending deformation mechanism of the soft TZ membranes was proposed from microscopic single nanofiber to macroscopical membranes. Moreover, the resultant TZ membranes displayed better photocatalytic performance for methylene blue degradation compared to a commercial catalyst (P25), including high degradation degree of 95.4% within 30 min, good reusability in 5 cycles, and easiness of recycling. The successful preparation of such fascinating materials may open up new avenues for the design and development of soft TiO2-based membranes for various application.
Highlights
TiO2-based materials with high photocatalytic reactivity and good recyclability should be of great interest for practical applications
The resultant TZ membranes showed excellent photocatalytic performance in the degradation of MB under UV light irradiation, and the soft photocatalytic membranes could be extracted from solution after utilization, which could serve as a promising photocatalysts for environmental remediation in the future
The mechanical properties and photocatalytic performance of materials are generally closely associated with the morphologies and structure of nanofibrous membranes, the morphologies, crystalline structure and porous structure were firstly analysed
Summary
TiO2-based materials with high photocatalytic reactivity and good recyclability should be of great interest for practical applications. Electrospinning has become a simple and versatile method for preparing nanofibrous materials with many attractive properties, involving large specific surface area (SSA), high porosity, and interspatial connectivity[15,16,17] Owing to these advantageous features, electrospun TiO2 nanofibers possess high reactivity, and their fibrous structure makes it possible to conveniently separate and reclaim such materials from water after environmental remediation. We reported a soft Y3+-doped TiO2 fibrous membranes with a tensile strength of 472.5 kPa19; this membranes showed reduced photocatalytic activity towards MB compared to pure TiO2 nanofibers, due to an increase in electron-hole recombination after doping with Y3+ ions It is still an imperative and challenging issue to develop soft TiO2 photocatalytic membranes with simultaneously enhanced mechanical properties and photocatalytic performance. The resultant TZ membranes showed excellent photocatalytic performance in the degradation of MB under UV light irradiation, and the soft photocatalytic membranes could be extracted from solution after utilization, which could serve as a promising photocatalysts for environmental remediation in the future
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