Stimuli-responsive swollen electrospun fiber catalyst for efficient degradation of organic pollutants

Aiming at the highly toxic and refractory organic pollutants in wastewater, a stimuli-responsive fiber catalyst was fabricated via blending electrospinning technology and followed thermal treatment. The stable crosslinking structure supported high swelling abilities of the fibers, showing the swelling ratio of 5,629 %. Our studies demonstrated that the swollen structure of the fibers created more inner spaces and active sites to facilitate the diffusion of pollutant molecules inside the fibers. Additionally, the synergy between Ag nanoparticles and the quinone groups of polydopamine further enhanced desirable catalytic properties for 4-nitrophenol, methylene blue, and methyl orange, at reaction rate constants of 9.75 × 10−2 min−1, 2.82 × 10−2 s−1, and 3.51 × 10−2 s−1, respectively. The fiber catalyst also benefited from the stimuli-responsive copolymers and displayed valuable pH/temperature-controlled catalytic activities. Lastly, we determined that the fiber catalyst's performance marginally diminished after several repeated use, making it economically and sustainably suitable for vast applications in wastewater purification.