Flexible polyaniline-coated TiO₂/SiO₂ nanofiber membranes with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic degradation performance.

A simple and practical strategy has been developed for preparing polyaniline (PANi) coated TiO2/SiO2 nanofiber membranes by a combination of electrospinning, calcination and in situ polymerization. TiO2/SiO2 (TS) nanofibers are fabricated by electrospinning, followed by calcination. Then they are used as template for in situ polymerization of aniline monomers. SEM images show that PANi nanoparticles thus formed can be densely and uniformly coated on the surface of TS nanofibers. Photocatalytic degradation tests show that the as-prepared nanofiber membranes exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity for degradation of methyl orange under visible light, which may be due to the synergistic effect of PANi and TiO2. Furthermore, the effect of polymerization time on the morphology and photocatalytic activity of the membrane is investigated. The free-standing membrane is flexible and easy to handle, which is promising for potential applications in photocatalysis and water remediation fields.