Facile fabrication of multiscale ZnO/cellulose composite membrane towards enhancing photocatalytic and mechanical properties

Multiscale fibers with different nano-/micro- ratios were innovatively introduced to improve the photocatalytic and recycling properties of single-scale ZnO/cellulose composites via a simple papermaking process. ZnO flower/ sheet ratio was adjusted by multiscale cellulose fiber with different fibrillation indexes, indicating that ZnO flower/sheet ratio increased with the increasing nano-/micro- ratio in multiscale fibers. The ZnO/CFR12 composite membrane with the highest ZnO flower/sheet ratio exhibited the best photocatalytic performance (the degradation rate of MO, phenol, and aniline were 95.44%, 100%, and 82.39%, respectively). The ZnO/CFR6 composite membrane with reasonable nano-/micro- ratio showed excellent wet strength (tensile stress of 0.67 +/- 0.02 MPa), which was 3.19 times to ZnO/CFR12. The prepared ZnO/CFR composite membrane with good photocatalytic activity, stable photodegradation process, simple recycling procedure, and environmental friendliness has the potential to be an emerging environmental functional material.

Automated summary

Multiscale fibers were used to improve the photocatalytic and recycling properties of ZnO/cellulose composites. The ZnO flower/sheet ratio could be adjusted by the multiscale cellulose fibers, with an increasing nano-/micro- ratio leading to an increase in the ZnO flower/sheet ratio. The composite membrane with the highest ZnO flower/sheet ratio exhibited the best photocatalytic performance, while the composite membrane with a reasonable nano-/micro- ratio showed excellent wet strength.