A polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) - titanium dioxide (TiO2) core-shell composite nanofibrous membrane (CNM) with photocatalytic activity was obtained from the microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatment of an electrospun PVDF membrane. The effects of the precursor solution acidity, the heating temperature, and the treatment time on the structure and the photocatalytic performance were investigated. The CNM obtained from a 2 M precursor acidic solution showed the presence of nanofibers (NFs) with a proper core-shell structure, wherein a TiO2 smooth shell was uniformly covering the electrospun PVDF NFs core. The TiO2 crystallographic phase was found to be temperature-dependent, with the highest anatase content observed at 120 °C. The mean PVDF-TiO2 NFs diameter measured from SEM images and the TiO2 fraction of CNM calculated from TGA results showed an accumulation of TiO2 on the PVDF NFs surface as heating temperature and treatment time increased. The photo-oxidation capability of the as-prepared CNMs was evaluated by the photocatalytic decomposition of aqueous methyl orange solution at room temperature under UV-C irradiation. PVDF-TiO2 CNM exhibited a stable performance after five cycles of the MO degradation due to a strong connection between the TiO2 layer and the PVDF substrate. The implemented approach has been demonstrated to be a feasible method for the synthesis of core-shell PVDF-TiO2 fibrous membrane. The influence of hydrothermal process parameters on the structure and final properties of PVDF-TiO2 CNM was revealed through a detailed mechanism investigation.
PVDF-TiO2 core-shell fibrous membranes by microwave-hydrothermal method: Preparation, characterization, and photocatalytic activity
Yin J.;Roso M.
;Boaretti C.;Lorenzetti A.;Martucci A.;Modesti M.
2021
Abstract
A polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) - titanium dioxide (TiO2) core-shell composite nanofibrous membrane (CNM) with photocatalytic activity was obtained from the microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatment of an electrospun PVDF membrane. The effects of the precursor solution acidity, the heating temperature, and the treatment time on the structure and the photocatalytic performance were investigated. The CNM obtained from a 2 M precursor acidic solution showed the presence of nanofibers (NFs) with a proper core-shell structure, wherein a TiO2 smooth shell was uniformly covering the electrospun PVDF NFs core. The TiO2 crystallographic phase was found to be temperature-dependent, with the highest anatase content observed at 120 °C. The mean PVDF-TiO2 NFs diameter measured from SEM images and the TiO2 fraction of CNM calculated from TGA results showed an accumulation of TiO2 on the PVDF NFs surface as heating temperature and treatment time increased. The photo-oxidation capability of the as-prepared CNMs was evaluated by the photocatalytic decomposition of aqueous methyl orange solution at room temperature under UV-C irradiation. PVDF-TiO2 CNM exhibited a stable performance after five cycles of the MO degradation due to a strong connection between the TiO2 layer and the PVDF substrate. The implemented approach has been demonstrated to be a feasible method for the synthesis of core-shell PVDF-TiO2 fibrous membrane. The influence of hydrothermal process parameters on the structure and final properties of PVDF-TiO2 CNM was revealed through a detailed mechanism investigation.
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