Exploring potential of adsorptive-photocatalytic molybdenum disulphide/polyacrylonitrile (mos2/pan) nanofiber coated cellulose acetate (ca) membranes for treatment of wastewater

Abstract

Adsorptive-photocatalytic electrospun nanofiber membranes have received remarkable attention as they could provide an excellent solution for the effective treatment of wastewater. However, the mechanical properties of nanofiber have limited their use in pressure-driven filtration applications. In this study, dual-layered MoS2/PAN-CA adsorptive-photocatalytic-based membranes have been successfully fabricated using molybdenum disulphide/polyacrylonitrile (MoS2/PAN) nanofiber coated porous cellulose acetate (CA) membranes. The fabricated CA membranes were coated with electrospun MoS2/PAN nanofiber via the electrospinning technique. Subsequently, hot-pressed treatment was applied to the fabricated membrane to form a stronger attachment between the CA and MoS2/PAN nanofiber layers. The physicochemical properties of the fabricated membranes were characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), water contact angle (WAC), porosity analysis, and tensile strength test. In addition, the membrane separation performance of the fabricated nanofiber membranes was evaluated in terms of water flux and contaminant rejection using a self-assembled cross-flow filtration system. The MoS2/PAN-CA membrane demonstrated improved physicochemical and structural properties where WAC, porosity and mechanical strength increased up to 38% (44.0°), 25% (55%) and 26% (32.1 MPa), respectively, as compared to pristine CA membrane. Upon hot-pressed treatment at a temperature of 120 °C, pure water flux of MoS2/PAN-CA membrane improved by 28% to 36.3 Lm−2 h−1. These improved properties of dual-layered adsorptive-photocatalytic MoS2/PAN-CA membranes recommend it as a potential membrane material to treat various pollutants in water and wastewater.