Nanomaterials (Feb 2022)

On the Versatile Role of Electrospun Polymer Nanofibers as Photocatalytic Hybrid Materials Applied to Contaminated Water Remediation: A Brief Review

  • Alexander Cordoba,
  • Cesar Saldias,
  • Marcela Urzúa,
  • Marco Montalti,
  • Moreno Guernelli,
  • Maria Letizia Focarete,
  • Angel Leiva

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12050756
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 5
p. 756

Abstract

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A wide variety of materials, strategies, and methods have been proposed to face the challenge of wastewater pollution. The most innovative and promising approaches include the hybrid materials made of polymeric nanofibers and photocatalytic nanoparticles. Electrospun nanofibers with unique properties, such as nanosized diameter, large specific surface area, and high aspect ratio, represent promising materials to support and stabilize photocatalytic nanosized semiconductors. Additionally, the role performed by polymer nanofibers can be extended even further since they can act as an active medium for the in situ synthesis of photocatalytic metal nanoparticles or contribute to pollutant adsorption, facilitating their approach to the photocatalytic sites and their subsequent photodegradation. In this paper, we review the state of the art of electrospun polymer/semiconductor hybrid nanofibers possessing photocatalytic activity and used for the remediation of polluted water by light-driven processes (i.e., based on photocatalytic activity). The crucial role of polymer nanofibers and their versatility in these types of procedures are emphasized.

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