1 research outputs found
Functionalization of Electrospun Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) Nanofiber Membranes for Selective Chemical Capture
Electrospun
poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) nanofiber membranes were
functionalized by incorporating either poly(methyl vinyl ether-<i>alt</i>-maleic anhydride) (PMA) to create negative charges,
or poly(hexadimethrine bromide) (PB) and chitosan (CS) to create positive
charges on the fiber surface. The functionalized PVA nanofiber membranes
were heat-treated at elevated temperatures to impart cross-linking
and improve the water-resistance. The optimum heat-treatment temperatures
for both PVA/PMA and PVA/PB/CS systems were screened by Fourier transformed
infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).
Formation of cross-linked structure and increased crystallinity were
triggered by the heat-treatment. A cationic dye, methylene blue (MB),
and an anionic dye, acid red 1 (AR1), were used to represent charged
moieties in solution. The surface-charged PVA nanofiber membranes
were able to selectively capture counter-charged dye molecules from
aqueous solutions. The capture processes obey the pseudo-second-order
kinetic model. The capture equilibrium can be well-described by the
Langmuir model. Chemically cross-linked PVA/PMA nanofiber membranes
exhibited higher strength in capturing counter-charged dyes than physically
cross-linked PVA/PB/CS nanofiber membranes. Selective chemical capture
studies indicated that, by tailoring the surface, functionalized PVA
nanofiber membranes were able to selectively remove charged chemicals
with potential applications for purifying mixed liquids and delivering
a pure sample for detection in small-scale testing systems