A multicomponent
composite membrane (P-S-T/C) with three-phase
interface heterostructure is ingeniously designed. A polydopamine
(PDA)-modified conductive carbon fiber cloth (C
FC
) is used
as the substrate. Activated poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) with
titanium dioxide (TiO
2
) and a silicon dioxide (SiO
2
) aerogel are electrospun as the top layer. The three-phase
interface heterostructure was formed by TiO
2
, conductive
C
FC
, and the SiO
2
aerogel. Its photocatalytic
performance is validated by photodegradation of organic dyes in a
low-oxygen (O
2
) water environment. On combining with the
capillary condensation of a bilayer structure, P-S-T/C exhibits excellent
removal capability for anionic and cationic dyes. Moreover, P-S-T/C
exhibits excellent stability and recyclability under simulated sunlight.
The mechanism study indicates that the separated photogenerated carriers
diffuse to the composite membrane surface rapidly on the three-phase
interface of P-S-T/C. The abundant O
2
adsorbed on the porous
SiO
2
aerogel surface acts as an electron (e
–
)-trapping agent, which can also decrease the work function of the
composite materials. Superoxide radicals (
•
O
2
–
) play a dominant role in the reaction
of photodegradation supported by a free radical-trapping experiment.
This work paves a way to design a membrane with photocatalytic performance
by constructing the interface heterostructure.