Hierarchical Porous PllaTio2 Fibrous Membrane for Enhanced and Stable Photocatalytic Efficiency

A strategy was developed to combine TiO 2 NPs with porous polymeric fibres with a high surface area. Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA)@TiO 2 fibres were first electrospun, collected as fibrous membranes, and then treated with acetone. Due to the solvent-induced-recrystallization of PLLA, the solid composite fibres were transferred to be porous ones. Consequently, more TiO 2 NPs were exposed on the surface of PLLA fibres to play their role in photocatalytic applications. The porous p-PLLA@TiO 2 -0.1 membrane achieved a photocatalytic efficiency of 95.9% for methylene blue (MB) removal. The enhanced photocatalytic performance was ascribed to the appropriate ratio of PLLA@TiO 2 and the unique blossoming porous structure on fibre surface. Furthermore, the MB removal remained good after several repetitions under the same conditions, indicating excellent photocatalytic stability and activity of porous p-PLLA@TiO 2 -0.1 membrane