Electrospun nanofibrous rhodanine/polymethylmethacrylate membranes for the removal of heavy metal ions

•We developed rhodanine loaded nanofibrous membranes.•Electrospun membranes exhibited good Ag (I) and Pb (II) ion uptake capabilities.•The metal uptake increased with the initial metal ion concentrations.•Nanofibrous membranes could be recycled after the recovery process.

In this study we developed rhodanine loaded nanofibrous membranes for the removal of heavy metal ions. Rhodanine and polymethylmethacrylate dissolved in 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) were electrospun into nanofibrous membranes via an electrospinning process. The morphology of as-spun rhodanine/polymethylmethacrylate nanofibers was examined by scanning electron microscopy. The average diameter of electrospun nanofibers ranged from 840 nm to 1440 nm. The adsorption capability of nanofibrous rhodanine/polymethylmethacrylate membranes was measured and compared with that of bulk rhodanine. The influence of various process conditions on adsorption efficiency was also examined. The experimental results suggested that the electrospun nanofibrous membranes exhibit good Ag (I) and Pb (II) ion uptake capabilities. The metal uptake of nanofibrous membranes increased with the initial metal ion concentrations and decreased with the filtering rate of the solutions. Furthermore, the electrospun membrane could be reused after the recovery process. The empirical results in this study suggested that electrospun rhodanine/polymethylmethacrylate nanofibrous membranes can be a good candidate for the removal of heavy metal ions.