Mixed Dye Removal Efficiency of Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile–Graphene Oxide Composite Membranes

Abstract

Exfoliated graphene oxide (GO) was reliably modified with a cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) surfactant to greatly improve the dispersity of the GO in a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer precursor solution. Subsequent electrospinning of the mixture readily resulted in the formation of GO–PAN composite nanofibers containing up to 30 wt % of GO as a filler without notable defects. The absence of common electrospinning problems associated with clogging and phase separation indicated the systematic and uniform integration of the GO within the PAN nanofibers beyond the typical limits. After thoroughly examining the formation and maximum loading efficiency of the modified GO in the PAN nanofibers, the resulting composite nanofibers were thermally treated to form membrane-type sheets. The wettability and pore properties of the composite membranes were notably improved with respect to the pristine PAN nanofiber membrane, possibly due to the reinforcing filler effect. In addition, the more GO loaded into the PAN nanofiber membranes, the higher the removal ability of the methylene blue (MB) and methyl red (MR) dyes in the aqueous system. The adsorption kinetics of a mixed dye solution were also monitored to understand how these MB and MR dyes interact differently with the composite nanofiber membranes. The simple surface modification of the fillers greatly facilitated the integration efficiency and improved the ability to control the overall physical properties of the nanofiber-based membranes, which highly impacted the removal performance of various dyes from water.

Graphene Oxide Membranes for Trace Hydrocarbon Contaminant Removal from Aqueous Solution

“…These particular features make them promising as nanofiltration (NF) membranes for ultra-selective separation [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ] and water desalination [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], and also in tubular supports [ 22 , 23 ]. GO membranes are also renowned for their antifouling properties [ 24 , 25 ].…”

Novel TiO2 Nanoparticles/Polysulfone Composite Hollow Microspheres for Photocatalytic Degradation

“…The regression line of TiNPs/PSF composite and PSF microsphere does not pass through the origin. The reason of this phenomenon may be the existence of pores on the surface of PSF microspheres and TiNPs/PSF composite microspheres, which could cause the initial boundary layer diffusion effects and the unique mass transfer in the late pores [ 4 ].…”

“…However, due to their refractory structure and high toxicity to ecological environment, much more attention has been focused on the treatment of dyes-contaminated water [ 3 ]. Many technologies, including adsorption, membrane filtration, chemical coagulation/flocculation, and ionic exchange have been proposed to remove pollution from wastewater [ 4 , 5 ]. Nonetheless, they generally have some drawbacks, such as high energy consumption, fouling problems, and the generation of secondary contaminants as solid waste.…”

Recent Studies on Dispersion of Graphene–Polymer Composites

“…Freestanding nanofibers have been prepared using poly(vinyl acetate)–graphene by the electrospinning method [ 153 ]. GO modified with cetyltrimethylammonium chloride surfactant is used to improve the dispersity of GO in polyacrylonitrile solution [ 154 ]. Graphene-foams play a great role in solving the problem of restacking graphene sheets in composites [ 49 , 155 , 156 ].…”