Development of Free-Standing Titanium Dioxide Hollow Nanofibers Photocatalyst with Enhanced Recyclability
Nurul Natasha Mohammad Jafri,
Juhana Jaafar,
Farhana Aziz,
Wan Norharyati Wan Salleh,
Norhaniza Yusof,
Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan Othman,
Mukhlis A. Rahman,
Ahmad Fauzi Ismail,
Roshanida A. Rahman,
Watsa Khongnakorn
Affiliations
Nurul Natasha Mohammad Jafri
Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Juhana Jaafar
Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Farhana Aziz
Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Wan Norharyati Wan Salleh
Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Norhaniza Yusof
Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Mohd Hafiz Dzarfan Othman
Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Mukhlis A. Rahman
Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Ahmad Fauzi Ismail
Advanced Membrane Technology Research Centre (AMTEC), School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, UTM Johor Bahru, Skudai 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Roshanida A. Rahman
School of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Johor Bahru 81310, Johor, Malaysia
Watsa Khongnakorn
Center of Excellence in Membrane Science and Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Prince of Songkla University, Songkhla 90110, Thailand
Titanium dioxide hollow nanofibers (THN) are excellent photocatalysts for the photodegradation of Bisphenol A (BPA) due to their extensive surface area and good optical properties. A template synthesis technique is typically employed to produce titanium dioxide hollow nanofibers. This process, however, involves a calcination procedure at high temperatures that yields powder-form photocatalysts that require post-recovery treatment before recycling. Meanwhile, the immobilization of photocatalysts on/into a membrane has been reported to reduce the active surface area. Novel free-standing TiO2 hollow nanofibers were developed to overcome those shortcomings. The free-standing photocatalyst containing 0.75 g of THN (FS-THN-75) exhibited good adherence and connectivity between the nanofibers. The recyclability of FS-THN-75 outperformed the THN calcined at 600 °C (THN-600), which retained 80% of its original weight while maintaining excellent degradation performance. This study recommends the potential application of free-standing TiO2 hollow nanofibers as high potential novel photocatalysts for the treatment of BPA in wastewater.
