Highly Efficient Visible Light Photodegradation of Cr(VI) Using Electrospun MWCNTs-Fe₃O₄@PES Nanofibers

Abstract

The development of highly efficient photocatalysis has been prepared by two different methods for the photodegradation of Cr(VI) from an aqueous solution under visible light. The electrospun polyethersulfone (PES)/iron oxide (Fe3O4) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) composite nanofibers have been prepared using the electrospinning technique. The prepared materials were characterized by SEM and XRD analysis. The result reveals the successful fabrication of the composite nanofiber with uniformly and smooth nanofibers. The effect of numerous parameters were explored to investigate the effects of pH value, contact time, concentration of Cr(VI), and reusability. The MWCNTs-Fe3O4@PES composite nanofibers exhibited excellent photodegradation of Cr(VI) at pH 2 in 80 min. The photocatalysis materials are highly stable without significant reduction of the photocatalytic efficiency of Cr(VI) after five cycles. Therefore, due to its easy separation and reuse without loss of photocatalytic efficiency, the photocatalysis membrane has tremendous potential for the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions.

Keywords

• iron oxide
• MWCNTs
• photocatalysis
• Cr(VI)
• visible light