Preparation of porphyrinated polyacrylonitrile fiber mat supported $TiO_2$ photocatalyst and its photocatalytic activities

Abstract

Fe(III)meso-tetraphenylporphyrinated polyacrylonitrile fiber mat supported $TiO_2$ photocatalyst (PANC/ $TiO_2$ mat) was prepared via copolymerization and electrospinning. SEM images showed that well-defined fibers with diameters around 1.47 ± 0.26 μm were fabricated from Fe(III)meso-tetraphenylporphyrin (FeTPP)-acrylonitrile copolymer (PANC) and $TiO_2$ mixture. The XRD characterizations demonstrated that the electrospinning process had no effect on the anatase structure of TiO2 . The photocatalytic activity of the PANC/$TiO_2$ mat was examined for the photodegradation of methyl red in aqueous solution under the irradiation of visible light. The results showed that this PANC/$TiO_2$ fiber mat was very efficient for the photodegradation of methyl red, with a degradation percentage over 94%. It is worth noting that the PANC/$TiO_2$ mat could be easily recovered and reused 3 times without any destruction of fiber morphologies.