Non-purified commercial multiwalled carbon nanotubes supported on electrospun polyacrylonitrile@polypyrrole nanofibers as photocatalysts for water decontamination.

ABSTRACT: We present a photoactive composite material for water decontamination consisting of non-purified commercial multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNT(NP)s) supported on an electrospun polymeric mat made of core-sheath polyacrylonitrile-polypyrrole nanofibers. This is the first system that specifically exploits the superior photocatalytic activity of CNT(NP)s compared with the purified carbon nanotubes usually employed. A CNT(NP) still contains the catalytic metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) used for its synthesis, embedded in the nanotube structure. Under UV-visible irradiation, these NPs generate highly reactive ˙OH radicals capable of degrading the organic molecules adsorbed on the nanotube. Photocatalytic tests on the composite material show that CNT(NP)s act mostly as a source of photogenerated

SUBMITTER: Capilli G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8695461 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature