Membranes produced from modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers with different diameters were prepared by electrospinning and amidoximation. They were then used as ligands to coordinate with Fe3+ for preparing modified PAN nano-fibrous membrane Fe complexes. The coordination kinetics of three modified PAN nano-fibrous membranes with Fe3+ were studied, and the effects of temperature and the Fe3+ initial concentration on the coordination kinetics were also examined. Finally, the catalytic activities of the three modified PAN nano-fibrous membrane Fe complexes were evaluated as heterogeneous Fenton catalysts in the degradation of an organic dye. The effect of fiber diameter on the catalytic activity of the complexes was investigated. The results indicated that within the observed temperature and concentration ranges, the equilibrium data for the coordination of Fe3+ with the modified PAN nano-fibrous membranes correlated with the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations, but the coordination kinetics showed better agreement with the Lagergren second-order equation. Modified PAN nanofibrous membranes with small diameters showed higher Fe-coordinating capacities and reaction rate constants under the same conditions, indicating that they reacted with Fe3+ more easily than the others did. Better catalytic activities for dye degradation were found for the three modified PAN nanofibrous membrane Fe complexes in the dark, and these were further improved by light irradiation. The catalytic activities of the complexes were significantly affected by the nanofiber diameter. The complex prepared using a modified PAN nanofibrous membrane with fibers of an appropriate diameter exhibited the best catalytic activity.

• Journal: Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica
• Volume: 29
• Issue: 12
• Pages: 2513-2522
• ISSN: 1000-6818
• DOI: 10.3866/pku.whxb201310233
• Year: 2013
• Number:
• Type: