Recent progress of applications of electrospun nanofibrous membranes in environmental remediation

Abstract

Environmental pollution has become a pressing issue in today's world. With the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization, a large number of harmful gases and solid wastes are discharged into the atmosphere, water and soil, resulting in a sharp decline in environmental quality. Nanofibrous materials have attracted much attention due to their excellent physicochemical properties, controllable release and environmental friendliness. As a new type of nanomaterial, nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) has shown great potential in environmental treatment. Among numerous methods for the preparation of NFMs, electrospinning is a green technology. The NFMs obtained by this technique have the advantages of adjustable morphology, high specific surface area and controllable pore structure, which can provide more active centers for the adsorption of pollutants from water and the atmosphere. Based on a brief introduction of the principle of electrospinning, this paper focuses on the application of electrospun NFMs in environmental remediation, including the adsorption of organic dyes, adsorption of heavy metal ions, adsorption of antibiotics and other drugs, elimination of bacteria, air purification and so on. Meanwhile, the challenges of electrospun NFMs in the field of environmental remediation are analyzed, and their future development direction is discussed.