Photocatalytic degradation of formaldehyde by PAN nonwoven supported Fe(iii) catalysts under visible light irradiation
Abstract
A novel type of photocatalyst for formaldehyde removal in an indoor environment was prepared by supporting Fe(III) on amidoximated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nonwoven fabrics. The synthesized catalyst was characterized using SEM, FT-IR, XPS, DRS and XRD analyses. Fe(III) was anchored on the amidoximated PAN nonwoven fabrics through coordination bonds with both hydroxyl and amino functionality in the amidoxime groups. The ligand of Fe(III) played a crucial role in activating molecular oxygen under visible irradiation to effectively degrade formaldehyde. The PAN nonwoven fabrics were better Fe(III) support materials than PAN yarns to prepare the photocatalysts. The variation of the initial concentrations of formaldehyde and water significantly affects the formaldehyde degradation. The recycled catalyst exhibited only a slight decrease in photocatalytic activity after four successive runs.