High-entropy (FeCoNiCuZn)WO4 photocatalysts-based fibrous membrane for efficient capturing and upcycling of plastic

Catalytic upcycling of plastics is regarded as a promising way to alleviate environmental pollution and produce value-added products, while still facing huge challenges. Herein, we report a feasible strategy for synthesizing high-entropy photocatalysts-based fibrous membranes with a dual function of capturing and upcycling plastic. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers templates enable the growth of highly arranged high-entropy metal tungstates (FeCoNiCuZn)WO4, denoted XWO4. The effect of lattice distortion in XWO4 modulates the band gap structure and contributes to the upshift d-band center of XWO4. As a result, the modified anti-bonding state facilitates the upcycling of captured polylactic acid (PLA) towards acetic acid production, with an enhanced yield rate of 38.51 mg gcat.�1 h-1 and improved selectivity of 73 %. Thus, the developed NFs template strategy, a tunable electronic structure and exploration of the structure-function relationship provide insight into tailoring the structure and composition of HEMs for photocatalytic upcycling of plastic.

Automated summary

This study reports a feasible strategy for synthesizing high-entropy photocatalysts-based fibrous membranes with a dual function of capturing and upcycling plastic. The researchers found that polyacrylonitrile nanofiber templates enable the growth of highly arranged high-entropy metal tungstates (FeCoNiCuZn)WO4, and the lattice distortion in XWO4 modulates the band gap structure, leading to enhanced upgradability of captured polylactic acid. This research provides important insights into tailoring the structure and composition of high-entropy photocatalysts for plastic upcycling.