Zr-doped TiO2 ceramic nanofibrous membranes for enhancing photocatalytic organic pollutants degradation and antibacterial activity

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is well known for its photocatalytic and antibacterial properties which are widely used in organic pollutants treatment and antibacterial. However, the fast recombination of electron-hole pairs of TiO2 and the wide bandgap energy during photocatalysis progress are prominently degrades its photocatalytic efficiency. In this study, we designed and investigated Zr-doped TiO2 ceramic nanofibrous membranes with enhanced photocatalytic properties for dye scavenging and bacteria inactivation. A mixture solution of poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) and preceramic polymers (Zr-doped polytitanoxane) was electrospun to fabricate Zr-doped TiO2 ceramic nanofibrous membranes, which were then carbonized in argon at 600 °C and calcined in air at 400 °C. It was found that the morphologies, structures, and characteristics of ceramic nanofibrous membranes were significantly influenced by the composition and content of preceramic polymers. The doping of Zr element improved photocatalytic activity of ceramic nanofibrous membranes and achieved efficient antibacterial activity. This work demonstrates a new strategy for the fabrication and application of multifunctional TiO2 composites by incorporating with ceramic nanofibrous membranes.