TiO₂–Based Nanofibrous Membranes for Environmental Protection

Abstract

Electrospinning is a unique technique that can be used to synthesize polymer and metal oxide nanofibers. In materials science, a very active field is represented by research on electrospun nanofibers. Fibrous membranes present fascinating features, such as a large surface area to volume ratio, excellent mechanical behavior, and a large surface area, which have many applications. Numerous techniques are available for the nanofiber’s synthesis, but electrospinning is presented as a simple process that allows one to obtain porous membranes containing smooth non-woven nanofibers. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is the most widely used catalyst in photocatalytic degradation processes, it has advantages such as good photocatalytic activity, excellent chemical stability, low cost and non-toxicity. Thus, titanium dioxide (TiO2) is used in the synthesis of nanofibrous membranes that benefit experimental research by easy recyclability, excellent photocatalytic activity, high specific surface areas, and exhibiting stable hierarchical nanostructures. This article presents the synthesis of fiber membranes through the processes of electrospinning, coaxial electrospinning, electrospinning and electrospraying or electrospinning and precipitation. In addition to the synthesis of membranes, the recent progress of researchers emphasizing the efficiency of nanofiber photocatalytic membranes in removing pollutants from wastewater is also presented.

Keywords

• polymers
• membranes
• electrospinning