Boosting formaldehyde catalytic oxidation of novel Au/mPVB fiber membrane with microreactor-like structure

In this study, a novel and well-constructed composite fiber membrane (Au/mPVB) is provided for removing the low-concentration formaldehyde gas continuously released in indoor environments at room temperature. The Au/mPVB provides a microreactor-like structure for catalytic reaction , in which the fiber has a homogeneous macroporous structure, and Au NPs are uniformly loaded onto the inner wall of the macropores in the amino-modified fiber (mPVB) by template sacrifice. Formaldehyde can be enriched in the mPVB fiber under the adsorption to the amino groups, and the catalytic performance can be improved effectively under the synergistic effect of adsorption and catalysis. In the experimental results of performance tests, 1 wt% Au/mPVB exhibited a high removal efficiency of 97.5% for 0.8 ppm formaldehyde in the indoor environment, which improved the performance by 25% compared to mPVB, and no obvious decrease of catalytic activation occurred after the continuous formaldehyde-releasing experiment without catalyst regeneration.