Fabrication of CNFs/ZnO Nanocomposites with Enhanced Photocatalytic Activity and Mechanical Properties

In this work, CNFs/ZnO composite was obtained by electrospinning technique and calcine process. The results revealed that the ZnO nanoparticles with hexagonal wurtzite phase were successfully dispersed in CNFs uniformly. Photocatalytic tests showed that the sample CZ-40 prepared from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and zinc acetate dihydrate (Zn(CH3COO)(2)center dot 2H(2)O) as precursor had a much higher degradation ability of rhodamine B than pure ZnO nanofiber and CNFs under UV light irradiation for 1 hour. A possible photodegradation mechanism was also proposed. The degradation efficiency of the sample CZ-40 could reach 95.3 %. Mechanical test showed that CZ-40 membrane had improved mechanical performance. The strain and the stress of the membrane was 3 % and 23 MPa respectivly. In the paper, it was considered that the mechanical properties of electrospun CNFs membrane could be improved by adding inorganic salt into polymer solution.