Electrospun zein/polyvinyl alcohol nanofabrics incorporated with nanosized hydroxyapatite for efficient heavy metal ion adsorption

Abstract

Abstract In order to solve the problem of heavy metal treatment in water pollution, the biodegradable film based on zein/ polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with incorporation of nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAP) were fabricated through electrospinning in this study, and the copper ion was taken as the representative of heavy metal ions. The result showed that the fiber morphology, hydrophobicity and thermal performance were influenced by the contents of nHAP. The incorporated nHAP nanoparticles were dispersed within the zein/PVA matrix and strong hydrogen bonding interactions were formed between the filler and matrix. The adsorption capacities of nanofibrous films for Cu2+ were greatly increased after the addition of nHAP. When the nHAP content was 20% (based on the weight of the solid content), the adsorption capacity could reach up to 23.86 mg/g, and the adsorption efficiency was 13.94% higher than that of neat zein/PVA nanofibers. In the system of copper ion adsorption, based on the electrostatic interaction and complexation of zein/PVA, the ion exchange effect, electrostatic interaction and complexation of nHAP significantly increased the adsorption capacity of the whole system. This work suggests the potentials of the electrospun zein/PVA/nHAP nanofibrous films as desirable ecofriendly materials in metal removal applications.