Monolith free-standing plasmonic PAN/Ag/AgX (X = Br, I) nanofiber mat as easily recoverable visible-light-driven photocatalyst

Most efficient visible-light-responsive photocatalysts are in the form of powder, leading to the tedious separation from the reaction media. Herein, we developed a versatile method for the general synthesis of free-standing polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/Ag/AgX (X = Br, I) nanofiber mats, where fibrous PAN/Ag precursor was firstly prepared via an electroless plating strategy, followed by a direct elemental halogenation with Br2/H2O or I2/ethanol solution. The as-obtained PAN/Ag/AgX nanofiber mats exhibit exceptional photocatalytic activity toward degradation of organic pollutants. Furthermore, the flexibility enables it to be easily recovered after the reaction was completed. This work provides new insights into the fabrication of membrane-based photocatalysts on a large scale.