Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes have been widely
used
for micro/ultrafiltration. However, their hydrophobicity leads to
serious membrane fouling over time during the process of dye decolorization,
which limits their practical application. Herein, PVDF, mesoporous
TiO2 spheres (MTS, ∼460 nm), and carbon black (CB)
are strategically hybridized via a polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)-assisted
phase inversion method. The fabricated PVDF/CB/TiO2 conductive
membrane prepared by optimal low-molecular-weight PVP (10 kDa) shows
a highly porous structure with macro-voids, and MTS are firmly incorporated
into the PVDF/CB membrane matrix with a morphologically intact structure,
rendering the ternary and conductive membranes with excellent PEC
properties. The decolorization rate of 0.50 mg/L methylene blue (MB)
reaches 98.6% under the condition of 1.0 V bias potential and simulated
solar light irradiation in a continuous cross-flow filtration process.
The •O2
– and •OH radicals and photogenerated holes (h+) are mainly responsible
for MB decolorization in the PEC system. Our work provided a sustainable
and efficient method for dye decolorization by combining the PEC system
and membrane technology.
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