Synthesis of a Ag/AgCl/PLA membrane under electron beam irradiation for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue and chloramphenicol

Abstract

Polylactic acid (PLA) has been extensively applied in the fields of biology and renewable biodegradable materials because of its superior biodegradability. PLA has excellent potential as a renewable biodegradable adsorbent in wastewater treatment. However, its poor photocatalytic properties have hindered its practical application. In this study, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVPP) or glutaraldehyde (GA) was utilized as an adhesive agent to prepare Ag/AgCl/PLA photocatalysts with highly efficient visible light photocatalysis on a PLA fabric by utilizing the electron beam irradiation method. The photocatalytic activities of the Ag/AgCl/PLA samples were examined under visible light irradiation to analyze the degradation of methylene blue (MB) and chloramphenicol (CPL). Our experimental results demonstrate that the nanomaterial Ag/AgCl was uniformly distributed on the PLA fiber surface; this can be attributed to the effects of the crosslinking PVPP or GA. Under electron beam irradiation, adding crosslinking PVPP (or GA) is beneficial to the loading of Ag/AgCl onto the PLA. For the composite Ag/AgCl/PLA, the degradation rate for MB was as high as 97% after 150 min of visible light irradiation. The addition of 4 mg/ml of Ag/AgCl solution resulted in the greatest photocatalytic activity for CPL, and we advanced the possible degradation pathways of CPL with the best sample. Additionally, the as-prepared composite Ag/AgCl/PLA exhibited favorable antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, with a bacterial removal rate of > 77%.