Fe3O4/ poly(caprolactone) (PCL) electrospun membranes as methylene blue catalyst with high recyclability

High specific-surface-area porous poly(caprolactone) (PCL) membranes combined with Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles were fabricated by electrospinning technology. Their applications as catalysts in Fenton reactions to degrade methylene blue (MB) were evaluated in the presence of H 2 O 2 and UV light . The results indicated that the fibrous catalyst system illustrated efficient MB removal performance (99% of MB degradation rate) and was viable after 6 cycles (96% of MB degradation rate). Besides, the morphology, chemical composition , magnetic and mechanical properties were also accessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, magnetometry , and strain-stress curves. The outstanding catalytic behaviors of the composites are attributed to synergy of porous surface and embedded Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles. It also shows advantages of being environment-friendly and separated easily without an external magnetic field.