Silica aerogel/Polyacrylonitrile/Polyvinylidene fluoride nanofiber and its ability for treatment of colored wastewater

Abstract In this study, Silica aerogel/Polyacrylonitrile/Polyvinylidene fluoride (SAPPF) webs were fabricated using the electrospinning method and used for the removal of Basic Red 18 (BR18). The characteristics of the SAPPF membrane webs were evaluated using SEM, FTIR, TGA, XRD, and tensile strength. The results indicated successful fabrication of the SAPPF webs with porous morphology of nanofibers and higher thermal resistance in comparison to the Polyacrylonitrile/Polyvinylidene fluoride (PAN/PVDF) membrane webs. In addition, the tensile properties of nanofibers were enhanced by adding silica aerogel to the structure of nanofiber webs. Moreover, the influence of operational parameters such as contact time, dosage of adsorbent, and initial dye concentration was investigated. The equilibrium data were fitted by the Langmuir isotherm.