Fabrication of PMMA/zeolite nanofibrous membrane through electrospinning and its adsorption behavior

ABSTRACT The present work investigates the effect of various solution parameters and electrospinning parameters on the characteristics of electrospun nanofibrous membranes. Scanning electron microscopy was used to analyze the surface morphology of the nanofibrous membrane. Adsorption test on methyl orange was also carried out and analyzed using the UV–vis. Results showed that increasing voltage decreased mean nanofiber diameter. Meanwhile, increasing PMMA concentration, feed rate, distance between collector‐and‐needle tip increased mean nanofiber diameter. Zeolite concentration and needle size did not affect the surface morphology significantly. The UV–vis spectra of the adsorption test showed that ∼93%, 85.5%, and 78% of methyl orange were adsorbed for 30, 50, and 100 mg L−1 initial dye concentration, respectively, within 11 min. The maximum adsorption capacity was found to be 95.33 mg g−1. Therefore, PMMA/zeolite nanofibrous membranes possess the adsorption capability toward effective dye removal. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44450.