High-performance electrospun pyrocatalytic NBT-6BT-2Zn added PVDF composite nanofibers for sustainable water purification

Pyroelectric materials have been widely used for treating wastewater containing dyes. However, most studies have used it as nanopowder catalysts, which poses a major drawback for catalyst retrieval after treatment. The current study utilizes the electrospinning technique to fabricate polar-phase polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and PVDF composite films containing 0.94Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 -0.06BaTiO 3 -0.02Zn (NBT-6BT-2Zn) (4%, 8%, and 12% by weight) for pyrocatalytic-driven dye degradation. The formation of the polar(β) phase is beneficial for pyrocatalysis applications, as confirmed by structural characterization of the fabricated films. The highest 96% degradation is observed for NBT-6BT-2Zn (12% by weight) added to the PVDF composite film. The presence of superoxide and hydroxyl radicals is confirmed using scavengers and fluorescence experiments. Furthermore, to reveal the pathway and determine the breakdown products of the methylene blue dye, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is performed, along with an investigation of bacterial activity.