The adsorption and photocatalytic degradability of poly(lactic acid)/modified copper-based metal-organic frameworks meltblown fiber membranes on volatile organic compounds

Abstract

In this work, a copper-based metal-organic framework (CuBTC) was synthesized by the solvent-thermal method, and then m@CuBTC was prepared to enhance its performance. Moreover, m@CuBTC was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, contact angle analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis, which exhibited m@CuBTC had strong hydrophobicity after surface modification. Furthermore, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) based nanocomposite fiber membranes were prepared by meltblown nonwoven technology with m@CuBTC as a functional additive. The structure characterization showed that m@CuBTC improved compatibility and dispersion within PLA, and excellent thermal stability. The PM2 nanocomposite fiber membranes (with a CuBTC addition of 0.3 wt%) demonstrated high porosity of 84.9 %, a specific surface area of 35.53 m²/g, and the crystallinity of 53.95 %, which also showed a maximum adsorption capacity for ethyl acetate of 266.93 mg/g according to the fitting results of Langmuir model. Furthermore, the PM2 membranes exhibited a high photocatalytic degradability, achieving a removal rate of 93.7 % for ethyl acetate, which only slightly decreased to 86.7 % after five reusability cycles. Consequently, the PLA-based nanocomposite fiber membranes present a promising solution for VOC treatment in industrial applications.