Photocatalytic degradation of PET microfibers and hydrogen evolution by Ni5P4/TiO2/C NFs

As a new type of pollutant, microplastics, especially microfibers in textiles, pose a great threat to the environment and human health. It remains challenging to remove such emerging organic pollutants. Photocatalytic technology is an effective strategy for H2 fuel production and pollutant reuse using solar energy due to its low cost and environmental friendliness. In this work, the flexible Ni5P4/TiO2/C nanofiber (NF) film photocatalysts were fabricated by electrospinning, hydrothermal treatment and low-temperature phosphating. With the addition of Ni5P4 onto TiO2/C NFs, the light absorption of composite nanofibers was improved, restraining the recombination of carriers simultaneously. Accordingly, the photocatalytic activity of the NFs was improved. The hydrogen evolution of the Ni5P4/TiO2/C NFs for photocatalytic degradation of PET microfibers reached 76.66 μmolH2 gsub−1 in 12 h, which is three times that of TiO2/C NFs. The weight loss rate of PET microfibers reached 6.23% after Ni5P4/TiO2/C NF catalysis, which was nearly 5 times higher than that without a catalyst (1.2%). In addition, the nanofiber film is easy to recycle and avoids secondary pollution. This work provides new ideas for achieving the goal of reducing microplastic fibers and microplastics in an efficient and environmentally friendly way.