Robust polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous membrane reinforced with jute cellulose nanowhiskers for water purification

Conventional ultrafiltration (UF) or nanofiltration (NF) filters for water treatments are based on porous membranes, where the torturous porosity usually results in a relatively low flux rate, typically manufactured by the phase immersion method. Electrospun (ES) nanofibrous membranes with a high flux rate evoked a considerable interest in the ultrafiltration or nanofiltration applications, because of their high porosity, good interconnectivity and high specific surface area. Herein, we developed a novel double layers of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) electrospun nanofibrous membranes (with an average fiber diameter of 173 nm) reinforced with TEMPO (2, 2, 6, 6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical) selectively oxidized jute cellulose nanowhiskers (with a diameter in the range of 3–10 nm). From FE-SEM images, the presence of evenly coated thin layer of cellulose nanowhiskers on the PAN ES nanofibers is evident. The versatile PAN/cellulose ES composite membranes with superior mechanical properties and high filtration efficiency of 7–40 nm particles would be particularly useful for applications in the domestic drinking water and industrial waste water treatment.

► Jute cellulose nanowhiskers were evenly coated on PAN ES fiber mats.
► The composite membranes show special good mechanical properties.
► The composite membranes show special efficient removal capability of 7–40 nm particles.
► The composite membrane also could be used for oil/water separation.