Photocatalytic Elimination of Methylene Blue by Nanofibrous Polystyrene Membrane Containing TiO2 Nanotube

In this research, the nanofibrous polystyrene /titanium dioxide nanotube (PS/TiO2 nanotubes) membrane was prepared by electrospinning method. In order to synthesize titanium dioxide nanotubes, the anodizing method was used. Then, the effect of different weight percentages of titanium dioxide nanotubes on the performance of the resulting membranes was investigated. The nanoparticles and nanocomposites prepared in this research were analyzed using several analyses, including fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), along with X-ray energy diffraction spectroscopy (EDS). The thermal behavior and crystal structure of prepared nanocomposite membranes were investigated using (TGA) analysis and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Afterward, in order to investigate the prepared structures, analyses such as porosity measurment, water contact angle, swelling and water flux of the membranes were performed. The photocatalytic property of the prepared membranes toward decomposition of methylene blue was investigated by two methods. The obtained results demonstrated that the dye removal was accomplished in the best way in the static method (using the membrane as an absorbent) for 48 hours. The prepared nanocomposite membranes were also used in the dye filtration removal process and the best result was obtained by using the membrane containing titanium dioxide nanotubes with the concentration, 0.05 g/(V(50).