Sulfonated cobalt phthalocyanine/NH2-MIL-125 heterojunction modified electrospun nanofiber membrane for emulsion separation and PMS-photocatalysis synergistic degradation

Membrane technology for wastewater remediation has generated significant interest, however, the single functionality, dull wettability and easy fouling property of the membrane hinder its practical application. Herein, a self-cleaning and multi-use superwetting nanofiber membrane was prepared by electrospinning and subsequent spraying technique. The sulfonated cobalt phthalocyanine/NH 2 -MIL-125 (CoPcS/NMIL) heterojunction was uniformly enrobed over polyethylene terephthalate (PET) electrospun membrane derived from waste PET bottles. The unique CoPcS/NMIL heterojunction exhibited a dual driving effect in photocatalytic activity and membrane wettability. Therefore, the fabricated CoPcS/NMIL@PET composite membrane demonstrated its capability to address complex water pollution issues effectively. The composite membrane exhibited notable flux permeation ability (538–3180 L m −2 h −1 ) and achieved excellent separation efficiency of over 99 % for diverse oil-in-water emulsions under the gravity filtration condition. Notably, the membrane can efficiently deal with stubborn high-viscosity crude oil fouling profiting from the photocatalytic self-cleaning function. A high flux recovery ratio of 93.6 % and a low irreversible fouling resistance ratio of 6.4 % can be obtained after 30 min of visible light irradiation. Impressively, CoPcS/NMIL@PET membrane exhibited enhanced permeation flux, separation efficiency and self-cleaning capacity compared to NMIL@PET membrane. Meanwhile, the CoPcS/NMIL@PET-activated peroxomonosulfate (PMS) system exhibited extremely high degradation performance for RhB under visible light with the degradation efficiency of 98 % within 10 min, suggesting its potential in the rapid purification of water-soluble organic pollutants . In addition, the CoPcS/NMIL@PET membrane has good chemical stability and mechanical properties for potential long-term use. Moreover, the demulsification mechanism in oil-water separation and PMS-photocatalysis synergetic mechanism over the fabricated CoPcS/NMIL@PET membrane were also investigated in detail. The research offers a promising approach for the design and fabrication of novel nanofiber membranes that incorporate photosensitizers and MOFs functional surfaces to address the challenges associated with such wastewater treatment .