Oxidative removal of As(III) by polyacrylonitrile@Ag-Ag2O/schwertmannite nanofiber under visible light

Abstract

Visible light response PAN@Ag-Ag2O/Sch (PAN@AS, schwertmannite and polyacrylonitrile abbreviated as Sch and PAN) nanofibers with different mass ratios were synthesized by electrospinning technology and pH-induced precipitation reaction. X-Ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that the formation of Ag-Ag2O/Sch heterojunction and Ag-Ag2O nanoparticles were evenly distributed on the surface of Sch. The prepared nanofibers have high oxidative removal performance for As(III) under visible light. In the PAN@AS0.10 system, the total As removal percent can reach 90.96% after 120 min irradiation at pH 4.0. The scavenger experiments confirmed that the main active substances of the PAN@AS0.10 system were h+ and •OH. The high oxidation and removal performance of the PAN@AS0.10 composite for As(III) was attributed to the effective separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and high adsorption capacity of Sch for As under acidic conditions. This research provides a new material for the oxidation and removal of pollutants in water [such as As(III)] and also provides a research basis for the preparation of recyclable photocatalysts.