Investigation of Free-Standing Plasmonic Mesoporous Ag/CMK-8-Nafion Composite Membrane for the Removal of Organic Pollutants with 254-nm UV Irradiation

• Main Authors: Chuan Ming Tseng, Hsin Liang Chen, Sz Nian Lai, Ming Shiung Chen, Chien Jung Peng, Chia Jui Li, Wei Hsuan Hung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SpringerOpen 2017-05-01
• Series: Nanoscale Research Letters
• Subjects: Methyl Orange; Composite Membrane; Mesoporous Carbon; Nafion Membrane; Organic Water Pollutant
• Online Access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s11671-017-2124-7

Abstract “Carbon-based material” has demonstrated a great potential on water purification due to its strong physical adsorption to organic pollutants in the water. Three-dimensional cubic ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-8), one of the well-known ordered mesoporous carbons, was prepared by using nanocasting method with mesoporous silica (KIT-6) as the template. In this study, CMK-8 blended with Nafion polymer to form a free-standing mesoporous CMK-8-Nafion composite membrane. The synthesis of high crystallinity CMK-8 was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). More than 80% methyl orange (MO) removal efficiency was observed under 254-nm UV irradiation after 120 min. Ninety-two percent recycling performance was remained after four recycling tests, which indicated a reliable servicing lifetime for the water purification. Furthermore, an additional layer of plasmonic silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) was integrated into this CMK-8-Nafion membrane for higher pollutant removal efficiency, attributing from the generation of plasmon-resonance hot electrons from Ag NPs. A 4-in. CMK-8-Nafion composite membrane was also fabricated for the demonstration of potential large-scale utilization.