In this research article, the PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride)-PANI (polyaniline)-titanium nanotube (TNT) based nanocomposite membranes were synthesised through phase inversion method. The composition and structural properties of nanocomposite membranes were characterised by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fouriertransform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The significant properties of synthesised membranes such as distribution of pore size, thermal properties, mechanical properties, and photocatalytic behaviour of membranes were also studied. The hydrophilic properties of the composite membranes increased with filler content (PANI-TNT) and results in improved pure water flux (484.8 ± 2.9 L/m 2 h −1 ) compared to that (312.0 ± 1.91 L/m 2 h −1 ) of the pure PVDF membrane. The pure PVDF and nanocomposite membrane were further analysed in terms of their filtration properties such as adsorption of dyes (methyl orange, Allura red) and UV self-cleaning properties. The newly developed nanocomposite membranes showed excellent pollutant removal efficiency (~90%). The synthesised nanocomposite membranes also showed photocatalytic activities due to the presence of TNTs, and adsorption of methyl orange (MO) reduces significantly with the UV light irradiations. The UV self-cleaning property of the composite membrane was further confirmed due to their high flux recovery ratio of about 94%. The results show that embedded PANI-TNT within nanocomposite was photo-catalytically active and degrade the dye molecules from the surface of the nano composite membrane.
Treatment of textile wastewater has been a matter of considerable interest because of the potential toxicity, colloidal stability, and deformable nature of dyes. Herein, a novel polyaniline (PANI)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) hybrid membrane is developed to remove textile wastewater dyes. The hybrid membrane's contact angle decreases by increasing the concentration of polyaniline in the PVDF matrix, enhancing the hybrid membrane's hydrophilicity. Membrane properties, including porosity, antifouling property, solvent content, and pure water flux, are improved in the hybrid membrane compared with neat PVDF membranes. The purified water flux is enhanced from 28 to 47 L m−2 h, which indicates the impact of PANI on the hydrophilicity of the hybrid membranes. Among the hybrid membranes, 3P exhibits 85% dye rejection at 0.1 MPa operating pressure. Hence, the incorporation of PANI in the PVDF matrix is proposed to enhance the hybrid membrane's dye rejection and antifouling properties.
Titania (TiO2) is one of the most versatile materials in the field of polymer science and technology. In recent years, a large area of research has focused on the combination of TiO2 with polymers and other carbon nanostructures. Literature reports suggest that nanoscale TiO2 reinforcement gives rise to new optical, electrical, and physiochemical properties attained at extremely low TiO2 content, thus making these nanocomposites (NCs) a promising new class of materials. This review summarizes the contemporary views on the state‐of‐the‐art synthesis and applications of TiO2‐based polymer nanocomposites having different polymer matrices. The merits and demerits of various fabrication techniques have been presented alongside. Moreover, the worth of polymer/TiO2 NCs for various applications such as environmental remediation, i.e., water treatment and gas separation, biomedical, sensing, and energy sector has also been discussed. Based on the latter, one can safely anticipate that these materials hold the promise for commercial applications in widespread fields.
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