Polydopamine enabled palladium loaded nanofibrous membrane and its catalytic performance for trichloroethene dechlorination

We report a facile and green approach for the synthesis of novel Pd-loaded nanofibrous membrane and its catalytic performance for dechlorinating trichloroethylene. An analogue of mussel adhesive protein, polydopamine (PDA), was used as an active and green platform for the in situ Pd reduction by taking advantage of its high adhesion and reducing activity. A PDA layer was firstly coated on the surface of a nanofibrous membrane. Soaking this PDA-coated membrane into Pd solution led to spontaneous generation of Pd nanoparticles. The resulting membrane achieved a Pd loading of 4.56 wt.%. When applied for treating trichloroethylene in an aqueous solution, the Pd-loaded nanofibrous membrane showed excellent dechlorination performance (degree of TCE dechlorination can reach up to 96.5 ( +/- 0.32) %) with high recyclability.