Preparation of polysulfone-based PANI-TiO2 nanocomposite hollow fiber membranes for industrial dye rejection applications

Abstract

Polysulfone-based polyaniline-TiO<inf>2</inf> containing hollow fiber membranes were prepared via a dry wet spinning method. Polyaniline (PANI) coated TiO<inf>2</inf> nanotubes were prepared via chemical oxidative polymerisation and were incorporated into the hollow fiber membranes at different compositions. The hollow fibers were fabricated by varying the air gap distance during the spinning process. The effects of the addition of PANI coated TiO<inf>2</inf> and the variation in the air gap distance on membrane performance, such as morphology and the permeability of the membranes, were analysed. The addition of the PANI-TiO<inf>2</inf> nanocomposite enhanced the hydrophilicity and antifouling ability of the prepared membranes. The polysulfone hollow fiber membranes were examined for their dye rejection of Reactive Black 5 and Reactive Orange 16. The results indicated that the polysulfone hollow fibers containing 1.0 wt% of PANI-TiO<inf>2</inf> fabricated using a 5 cm air gap can be used as a potential candidate for industrial dye rejection and showed a maximum rejection of 81.5% and 96.5% for Reactive Black 5 and Reactive Orange 16, respectively. © 2016 Royal Society of Chemistry.