TY - JOUR
T1 - Synthesis of polydopamine coated tungsten oxide@ poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) electrospun nanofibers as multifunctional membranes for water applications
AU - Mavukkandy, Musthafa O.
AU - Ibrahim, Yazan
AU - Almarzooqi, Faisal
AU - Naddeo, Vincenzo
AU - Karanikolos, Georgios N.
AU - Alhseinat, Emad
AU - Banat, Fawzi
AU - Hasan, Shadi W.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors are grateful for the support provided by the Center for Membranes and Advanced Water Technology (CMAT) (Award No. RC2-2018-009) at Khalifa University of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi (UAE). Special thanks go to Dr. Mahendra Kumar for his assistance in optimizing the polydopamine coating on nanofiber membranes.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2022/1/1
Y1 - 2022/1/1
N2 - In this work, electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofiber membranes were loaded with tungsten oxide (WO3) nanoparticles, surface coated with polydopamine (PDA) hierarchical structures, and tested in oil/water separation, photothermal water evaporation, and degradation of ampicillin. The electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENMs) consisted of three layers and the WO3 nanoparticles were incorporated into the top layer to increase their surface exposure. These layers were then heat-pressed for dimensional stability and surface coated with PDA hierarchical structures. Characterization was conducted using microscopic, goniometric, gravimetric, and spectroscopic methods. All ENMs displayed randomly oriented, smooth microporous structure and EDS mapping revealed a uniform distribution of WO3 nanoparticles on the nanofiber matrix. WO3-blended ENMs showed improved mechanical strength, higher UV/Vis absorption, and similar thickness as pristine ENM. PDA deposition has reduced the water contact angle of pristine PVDF-HFP membrane from 130.3 to 0°, whereas, the underwater oil contact angle has increased from 55.8 to 159.7°. The PDA-coated ENMs exhibited enhanced oil/water separation with 384.3 L m−2h−1 (LMH) of flux and 97.6% oil rejection when filtered under gravity. Photothermal interfacial evaporation and ampicillin degradation tests also demonstrated the multifunctionality and exciting features of the fabricated membranes for a wide range of applications.
AB - In this work, electrospun poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) nanofiber membranes were loaded with tungsten oxide (WO3) nanoparticles, surface coated with polydopamine (PDA) hierarchical structures, and tested in oil/water separation, photothermal water evaporation, and degradation of ampicillin. The electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENMs) consisted of three layers and the WO3 nanoparticles were incorporated into the top layer to increase their surface exposure. These layers were then heat-pressed for dimensional stability and surface coated with PDA hierarchical structures. Characterization was conducted using microscopic, goniometric, gravimetric, and spectroscopic methods. All ENMs displayed randomly oriented, smooth microporous structure and EDS mapping revealed a uniform distribution of WO3 nanoparticles on the nanofiber matrix. WO3-blended ENMs showed improved mechanical strength, higher UV/Vis absorption, and similar thickness as pristine ENM. PDA deposition has reduced the water contact angle of pristine PVDF-HFP membrane from 130.3 to 0°, whereas, the underwater oil contact angle has increased from 55.8 to 159.7°. The PDA-coated ENMs exhibited enhanced oil/water separation with 384.3 L m−2h−1 (LMH) of flux and 97.6% oil rejection when filtered under gravity. Photothermal interfacial evaporation and ampicillin degradation tests also demonstrated the multifunctionality and exciting features of the fabricated membranes for a wide range of applications.
KW - Electrospun nanofiber membranes
KW - Multifunctional membranes
KW - Oil/water separation
KW - Photothermal evaporation
KW - PVDF-HFP
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85109198119&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.cej.2021.131021
DO - 10.1016/j.cej.2021.131021
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85109198119
SN - 1385-8947
VL - 427
JO - Chemical Engineering Journal
JF - Chemical Engineering Journal
M1 - 131021
ER -