Influence of Titanium Dioxide Particles on the Filtration of 1,4-Dioxane and Antibacterial Properties of Electrospun Cellulose Acetate and Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanofibrous Membranes

This article reports the fabrication, characterization, and evaluation of electrospun nanofibrous membranes consisting of poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) and cellulose acetate (CA) infused with varying concentrations of titanium dioxide (1 wt%, 3 wt%, 5 wt% and 7 wt%) on the removal of toxic organic contaminant 1,4-dioxane. The formation of nanofibrous membranes and the present distribution of titanium dioxide particles were ascertained using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The PVDF/CA electrospun membranes were assessed for intermolecular interactions using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and antibacterial property. The membranes were tested for suitability in the filtration of 1,4-dioxane (C4H8O2) through the Buchner filtration test. It could be seen that the filtration efficiency of the membranes improved up to 55% upon the addition of TiO2. This revealed that the filtration efficiency of the membranes enhanced by increasing the contents of TiO2. Furthermore, the membranes with TiO(2)also exhibited better antibacterial activity against the pathogens viz.,Escherichia coli,Pseudomonas aeruginosa Bacillus licheniformis, andStaphyllococcus aureus.

Automated summary

This article investigates the impact of adding different concentrations of TiO2 to PVDF/CA electrospun membranes on the removal of toxic organic compound 1,4-dioxane, finding that the addition of TiO2 can enhance the filtration efficiency of the membranes and exhibit antibacterial activity.