Modification of polyvinylidene fluoride membrane with different shaped α-Fe2O3 nanocrystals for enhanced photocatalytic oxidation performance

Abstract A novel modified polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes with adding α-Fe 2 O 3 nanocrystals were prepared for the photocatalytic degradation of organic contaminants. The α-Fe 2 O 3 nanocrystals entrapped PVDF membranes were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM. The photocatalytic performance and antifouling property were studied by filtration and degradation of Congo red (CR) under visible light irradiation. The results show that the photocatalytic activity of the α-Fe 2 O 3 /PVDF membranes were significantly influenced by the morphology of α-Fe 2 O 3 nanocrystals. The PVDF membrane with inclusion of α-Fe 2 O 3 nanorods showed high degradation efficiency (90%) because of the higher surface Fe 3+ density. The water flux and degradation kinetics of the composite membrane were also studied.