Electrospun metal-organic frameworks with polyacrylonitrile as precursors to hierarchical porous carbon and composite nanofibers for adsorption and catalysis

A facile and effective method has been developed to prepare hierarchical porous carbon nanofibers (PCNFs), carbon nanofibers supported nickel nanoparticles (PCNFs-Ni) and carbon nanofibers encapsulating gold nanoparticles (PCNFs-Au). PCNFs or PCNFs-Au were obtained by embedding metal-organic frameworks (e.g. ZIF-8 or ZIF-8-Au) into polyacrylonitrile via electrospinning and subsequent carbonization. In addition, PCNFs-Ni were obtained by impregnating PAN/ZIF-8 nanofibers in Ni(NO3)2·6H2O followed by carbonization. Both PCNF and PCNF–Ni exhibited excellent adsorption activities for methylene blue (MB) and congo red (CR). Especially, PCNF–Ni could be removed and separated via a magnet. PCNFs-Au showed excellent catalytic properties in the reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP).