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In order to realize the ideal water treatment in a green and energy saving manner, TiO 2 based multifunctional membrane proved to be a promising approach owing to its capability in utilizing visible light for photocatalytic pollutant degradation and disinfection of bacteria. However, few studies were found about the investigation of antibacterial abilities arising from the intrinsic properties of membrane and its minor composition. Here, a multifunctional membrane was created via a green approach to integrate the merits of hierarchical Ag/AgBr/TNF composites with micro-/-nano porous structures, the intrinsic antibacterial abilities of Ag, and the visible light absorption capability of AgBr. The synergy effects made it being a promising multifunctional membrane for concurrent water filtration and disinfection in a sustainable way. Through a versatile characterization techniques of FESEM, XRD, TES, XPS, and UV-vis spectrometer, the morphology, structure and surface properties of the well prepared Ag/AgBr/TNF multifunctional membrane was thoroughly studied to reveal the deep mechanism behind the high flux, high photocatalytic degradation and disinfection efficiency under visible light. It indicates that the Ag/AgBr/TNF multifunctional membrane exhibited better photocatalytic activity, higher water permeate flux, and higher disinfection abilities over commercial P25 membrane under visible light. Besides the deep mechanism elaborated, the key factors in terms of predominant oxidative species was also exploited in details. This further solidify the broad future of the developed multifunctional membrane. In view of the roaring demand of advanced water treatment and disinfection technology, it is reasonable to believe our developed visible light responsive Ag/AgBr/TNF multifunctional membrane will show great significances to a green and clean future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterojunctioned architectures were facilely fabricated using hydrothermally treated electrospun TiO 2 nanofibers in an alkaline Sr(NO 3 ) 2 precursor solution in an electronic oven. TiO 2 on the fiber surface was partially dissolved into Ti 4+ to react with Sr 2+ in favor of the nucleation of SrTiO 3 on TiO 2 nanofibers, and thus a heterojunction was formed between SrTiO 3 and TiO 2 , which will benefit the improvement of photocatalytic activity. And then a multifunctional membrane was created by functionalizing the surface of commercial cellulose acetate (CA) membrane with heterojunctioned SrTiO 3 /TiO 2 nanofibers. This newly structured membrane exhibited excellent water purification performances in a concurrent photocatalytic membrane filtration system under the irradiation of UV light, because it is able to integrate the advantages of photocatalysis and membrane filtration while minimizes their disadvantages. The high water purification performances in terms of high photodegradation ability and high permeate flux are attributed to the high photocatalytic activity of heterojunctioned SrTiO 3 /TiO 2 nanofibers architectures and their structured porous functional layer favorable for fast water pass through. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is still a challenge to photocatalytically cogenerate clean water and energy from dye wastewater owing to the relatively low photocatalytic efficiency of photocatalysts. In this study, novel-structured TiO2/CuO composite nanofibers were successfully fabricated via facile electrospinning. For the first time, the TiO2/CuO composite nanofibers demonstrated multifunctional ability for concurrent photocatalytic organic degradation and H2 generation from dye wastewater. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of TiO2/CuO composite nanofibers was ascribed to its excellent synergy of physicochemical properties: 1) mesoporosity and large specific surface area for efficient substrate adsorption, mass transfer and light harvesting; 2) red-shift of the absorbance spectra for enhanced light utilization; 3) long nanofibrous structure for efficient charge transfer and ease of recovery, 4) TiO2/CuO heterojunctions which enhance the separation of electrons and holes and 5) presence of CuO which serve as co-catalyst for the H2 production. The TiO2/CuO composite nanofibers also exhibited rapid settleability by gravity and uncompromised reusability. Thus, the as-synthesized TiO2/CuO composite nanofibers represent a promising candidate for highly efficient concurrent photocatalytic organic degradation and clean energy production from dye wastewater. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres were synthesized by a facile approach from a one-step template method. This novel approach avoids tedious multiple steps from conventional template method for fabricating hierarchical porous and hollow microspheres. The as-prepared microspheres were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, nitrogen adsorption, and UV–vis DRS. Its photocatalytic activity was demonstrated in the photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamine B. Structural characterization indicates that the as-prepared microspheres had a hollow interior and a hierarchical porous structure with both large and small mesopores on its surface. The average diameters and BET surface areas of the hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres were 1.5μm and 117m2/g, respectively. Optical adsorption investigation shows that the hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres possessed the optical band gap of 3.42eV. A possible formation mechanism for the hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres was discussed. The hierarchical porous TiO2 hollow microspheres exhibited much higher photocatalytic activity than the commercial P25 TiO2. In addition, the as-prepared microspheres can be easily recycling for reuse. All these advantages show a bright future for this microspheric photocatalyst in environmental purification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A novel TiO2nano-thorn membrane was assembled for concurrent filtration and photocatalytic oxidization to remove pollutants in water. This membrane has hierarchical porous and multifunctional properties, which provide these advantages: (1) producing water with high quality; (2) increasing water flux; and (3) eliminating membrane fouling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel TiO2nano-thorn membrane was assembled for concurrent filtration and photocatalytic oxidization to remove pollutants in water. This membrane has hierarchical porous and multifunctional properties, which provide these advantages: (1) producing water with high quality; (2) increasing water flux; and (3) eliminating membrane fouling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]