Electrospun Nanocomposite Fibers for the Removal of Heavy Metals in Water

Uniform electrospun nanofibers with small diameters were successfully prepared by systematically optimizing the electrospinning parameters including polymer concentration, salt loading, applied voltage, tip-to-collector distance, and flow rate. These parameters are shown to affect the fiber morphology and the addition of iron (III) nitrate salt was found to be able to reduce the fiber size. Due to the conductive nature of iron salt in polymer solution, even a relative lower voltage of 6 kV could generate a stable fluid jet and yield the nanofibers. The thermal properties of the composite fibers were investigated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Rheological studies were also conducted. The composite nanofibers were further carbonized to carbon nanofibers. Applications of the nanofibers in environment remediation have shown promise.