Morphological and Mechanical Characterization of Ag Nanospecies Decorated Electrospun Membrane for Water Purification

Abstract

Membrane development includes a wide array of technological fields, which includes design of process and product, various fields of engineering such as materials engineering, chemical engineering, and also interaction phenomena. Progress in membrane technology can help resolve most worldwide problems related to water, healthcare, energy, air, and consequently global warming. Currently, electrospun polymeric fiber membranes are dominant products because of their broad spectrum of materials and process-dependent architecture with desirable physico-chemical properties for diverse applications. The low cost and ease of fabrication of nanofibers with different functionalities make electrospinning superior to other techniques. Using this process, one can easily incorporate nanoparticles of metal and metal oxide through nanofibers to get composite nanomaterials for different applications. In this work, dual membranes, one having amphiphilic/antibacterial and photocatalytic properties and another having antibacterial and hydrophobic properties, are being fabricated using electrospinning.