Preparation of PEI nanofiber membrane based on in situ and solution crosslinking technology and their adsorption properties

ABSTRACT Two kinds of PEI (Polyethyleneimine) nanofibers membrane were successfully prepared by electrospinning and crosslinking technology, which were insoluble in water. One Polyethyleneimine/ Epichlorohydrin/ Polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous films (abbreviated as PEI/ EPI/ PAN NFs) was prepared by in situ crosslinking of PEI/PAN nanofiber containing of EPI, and the other PEI/ PAN/ EPI NFs was prepared by crosslinking PEI/ PAN nanofibers using EPI solution. The composition and morphology of nanofibers before and after crosslinking were investigated by infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. PEI/EPI/PAN nanofibers exhibited excellent adsorption properties toward heavy metal ions and methyl orange dyes, which can also be reused multiple times. The adsorption rate of methyl orange remained around 75% after 4 cycles, meanwhile, the adsorption rate of copper and lead still remained around 90% after 5 cycles. In addition, we found that PEI/ PAN/ EPI nanofibers prepared by solution crosslinking technology solved the problem of easy gel formation in in situ crosslinking technology and facilitated the continuous production of PEI/ EPI/ PAN nanofibers, which is better than in situ crosslinking technology. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137 , 48279.