Immobilized Nitrogen-Doped TiO₂ Nanoparticles on Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Fibres: Performance Evaluation in a Tubular Photocatalytic Reactor

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-922-3_35How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Photocatalysis; Wastewater treatment; N-doped TiO2; Electrospun fibres; Polyacrylonitrile (PAN); Immobilized catalyst; Visible light; Rotating tubular reactor

Abstract

In this study, nitrogen-doped TiO₂ (NTO) nanoparticles were synthesized and immobilized onto electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibres to develop composite mats for photocatalytic wastewater treatment. NTO was prepared through a controlled doping method to enhance visible light activity, addressing the limitations of conventional TiO₂, which is active only under UV light. The nanoparticles were incorporated into PAN fibres via electrospinning, aiming to overcome the drawbacks of slurry-based photocatalytic systems, such as poor catalyst recovery and secondary pollution. The photocatalytic performance of the composite mats was studied in a specially designed tubular rotating photocatalytic reactor, ensuring uniform light exposure and enhanced contact between pollutants and catalyst. The composite fibres were characterized using Xray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), confirming the successful integration and uniform dispersion of NTO within the PAN matrix. Experimental results showed that the mats effectively degraded organic pollutants through a combined mechanism of adsorption and photocatalysis. Catalyst loading played a crucial role in determining degradation efficiency, with an optimal concentration improving activity without causing agglomeration. This study highlights the potential of immobilized NTO on electrospun fibres as a sustainable and efficient solution for wastewater treatment, emphasizing the importance of material optimization and reactor configuration in enhancing photocatalytic performance.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Aashna Saifudeen
AU  - M. R. Abhijith
AU  - Anugrah James
AU  - Jyostna Varghese
AU  - Nirmala Rachel James
AU  - Gomathi Nageswaran
AU  - A. Al Ameen
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/25
TI  - Immobilized Nitrogen-Doped TiO₂ Nanoparticles on Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Fibres: Performance Evaluation in a Tubular Photocatalytic Reactor
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference Recent Advances in Materials, Processes and Technology for Sustainability (RAMPTS 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 521
EP  - 535
SN  - 2590-3217
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-922-3_35
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-922-3_35
ID  - Saifudeen2025
ER  -