Concurrent filtration and solar photocatalytic disinfection/degradation using high-performance Ag/TiO2 nanofiber membrane

A facile polyol synthesis was used for the deposition of Ag nanoparticles on electrospun TiO2 nanofibers for the subsequent fabrication of Ag/TiO2 nanofiber membrane. The permeate flux of the Ag/TiO2 nanofiber membrane was remarkably high compared to commercial P25 deposited membrane. The Ag/TiO2 nanofiber membrane achieved 99.9% bacteria inactivation and 80.0% dye degradation under solar irradiation within 30 min. The Ag/TiO2 nanofiber membrane also showed excellent antibacterial capability without solar irradiation. Considering the excellent intrinsic antibacterial activity and high-performance photocatalytic disinfection/degradation under solar irradiation, this novel membrane proved to have promising applications in water purification industry. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.