Photodegradation of azo‐dyes in aqueous solution by polyacrylonitrile nanofiber mat‐supported metalloporphyrins

Abstract

Electrospinning has been employed to fabricate uniform polyacrylonitrile and polyacrylonitrile copolymer nanofiber mats supporting metalloporphyrins (MTPP; M: Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Fe(III) and Pd(II); TPP: meso‐tetraphenylporphyrin). The nanofiber mat‐supported metalloporphyrins are shown as efficient photocatalysts for the degradation of various azo‐dyes in aqueous solutions under visible light irradiation. The effect of transition metals on azo‐dye photodegradation has been examined. The nanofiber mat‐supported copper–porphyrin and iron–porphyrin complexes are among the most effective photocatalysts for azo‐dye degradation. Immobilization of the metalloporphyrins onto the nanofiber mats greatly facilitates the recovery and reuse of the expensive and toxic photocatalysts. Most interestingly, there are no significant degradations of the photocatalytic activities of the recycled photocatalysts. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry

Chlorophyll catalyse the photo-transformation of carcinogenic benzo[a]pyrene in water

“…Due to the porphyrin core structure, chlorophyll exhibits a high photo-activity. Porphyrins have been proved to act as an efficient photosensitizer for the photo-transformation of other organic compounds, such as pesticides 37 , 4-nitrophenol 38 , and dye 39 40 . Chlorophyll was employed as a template to prepare molecularly imprinted polymers for the separation of photoactive porphyrin-like substances 41 .…”

Recent Advances in Heterogeneous Photocatalytic Decolorization of Synthetic Dyes

“…The azoic dyes that are normally used on industrial scale have characteristics that are dependent on one or more azo bonds (–N=N–) with aromatic rings [ 167 , 200 – 202 ]. The aromatic ring system of the dyes helps to strengthen the Van-der-Waals forces between dye and fibers [ 203 ].…”

Humic-makeup approach for simultaneous functionalization of polyacrylonitrile nanofibers during electrospinning process, and dye adsorption study

“…Nanofibers are among today's efficient materials being used in diverse applications like photodegradation of dyes (13), metal adsorption (14,15), aerosol filtration (16), controlled drug release (17), and ultra-thin layer chromatography (18). Due to their high porosity and the high surface area to mass ratio, nanofiber mats became important materials in adsorption science.…”