Electrospinning and Catalytic Properties of Cyclodextrin Functionalized Polyoxymethylene (POM) Nanofibers Supported by Silver Nanoparticles

Abstract

A series of novel composite microfibers composed of β-cyclodextrin (β-CDs) functionalized POM (polyoxymethylene) were prepared using electrospining technology with a mixture of hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as solvent. The concentration of β-CDs with respect to the POM was varied from 0 to 50 wt.%. The effect of β-CDs content on the morphology of POM/β-CD composite microfiber was investigated. The results showed that the introduction of β-CDs reduced the surface roughness and porosity of the microfibers, and the morphology of the fibers was changed. The increase of β-CDs content from 10% to 50% has led to increased average diameter of POM/β-CD composite fiber from 2.1 μm to 6.4 μm. The mechanical properties of the blend fiber mats were further investigated. In addition, silver nanoparticles were introduced to the POM/β-CD composite microfiber matrices during electrospinning. The POM/β-CD composite fiber allows CDs to form host–guest complexes with various small molecules and macromolecules. The TEM, SEM, XRD, and XPS were utilized to characterize the prepared samples. The data suggest that Ag nanoparticles were homogeneously distributed within the POM/β-CD fibers, and no aggregation was observed. The catalytic activity of Ag nanoparticles was tracked by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy which showed excellent catalytic degradation performance of organic dyes in the presence of NaBH4. The Ag/POM/β-CD mats are promising for use in waste treatment, molecular recognition, catalysis, and so on.

Kaolin-Supported Silver Nanoparticles as an Effective Catalyst for the Removal of Methylene Blue Dye from Aqueous Solutions

“…Even though sodium borohydride is a strong reducing agent, the aqueous solution of NaBH 4 is unable to effectively reduce MB due to the appreciable difference in redox potentials of this dye and NaBH 4 . In this study, the degradation of MB by NaBH 4 was performed in the presence and absence of the Ag-NPs/kaolin composite.…”

“…Even though sodium borohydride is a strong reducing agent, the aqueous solution of NaBH 4 is unable to effectively reduce MB due to the appreciable difference in redox potentials of this dye and NaBH 4 . 78 In this study, the degradation of MB by NaBH 4 was performed in the presence and absence of the Ag-NPs/kaolin composite. The blank experiments conducted on the degradation of MB by NaBH 4 without adding the composite material showed no change in color as well as the intensity of λ max at 664 nm ( Figure 3 A).…”

Polysaccharides and Metal Nanoparticles for Functional Textiles: A Review

“…The introduction of β-CDs leads to increased average fiber diameter (from 2.1 µm to 6.4 µm) and decreased roughness and porosity of the microfiber surface. AgNPs imparted catalytic properties to the fiber mats [ 119 ]. Table 4 presents a summary of works carried out using MNPs and CDs in the development of functional textiles.…”

Distinct Crystallization Pathways of Polyoxymethylene in Methanol System

“…However, the crystallization of POM poses unique challenges due to its good solvent resistance and stability [14]. Apart from hexafluoroisopropanol [15], there are few solvents capable of dissolving POM, even at high temperatures and pressures. This limitation has resulted in relatively inadequate studies on the crystallization of POM solutions, particularly in poor solvents.…”