Surface Morphology Modulation of PANI/TiO2/PEN Electrospun Nanofibrous Composite Membranes for Efficient Dye Wastewater Treatment

Solar-driven interfacial water evaporation technology is recognized as a highly effective method for water purification. By incorporating photocatalytic degradation capabilities, it can further enhance the efficacy of wastewater treatment involving dye pollutants. In this study, poly(arylene ether nitrile) (PEN), a high-performance engineering plastic, was fabricated into a robust nanofibrous membrane substrate through electrospinning technology. The membrane was functionalized with polyaniline (PANI) through in-situ polymerization and subsequently doped with TiO 2 . As a result, dual-functional PANI/TiO 2 /PEN composite membranes were obtained, exhibiting properties suitable for solar-driven interfacial water evaporation and photocatalytic dye degradation. In this study, by modulating the surface morphology of PANI particles through involving in-situ growth on the PEN membrane using different surfactant pretreatments and varying HCl concentrations, a high evaporation rate of 3.17 kg m −2 h −1 was ultimately achieved. However, the dye removal rate reached 95.98% for methylene blue (MB) dye pollutant, owing to the adhesion of TiO 2 with photodegradation ability and the porous electrospun membrane with absorption properties. This study demonstrated high-efficiency water evaporation by modulating PANI morphology and offers a valuable strategy for constructing dual-functional nanofibrous membranes with both water evaporation and dye degradation capabilities for wastewater treatment applications. Graphical Creative application scenario schematic of the dual-functional PANI/TiO 2 /PEN electrospun nanofibrous membrane, which enables photothermal evaporation and photocatalytic degradation for highly efficient dye wastewater purification.