Preparation of β-cyclodextrin/PVDF composite films for efficient adsorption of Cu2+

Abstract Water pollution issues are becoming more and more serious, particularly those caused by heavy metal ions. In this paper, β -cyclodextrin ( β -CD) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) were chosen to prepare composite films by electrospinning technology. The microstructure, crystalline phases, mechanical properties, porosity, and adsorption performance of β -CD/PVDF composite films were analyzed. The results show that the β -CD/PVDF composite fibers were smooth and randomly deposited to form an interconnected three-dimensional network structure. The diameter of the β -CD/PVDF composite fibers ranged from 0.22 to 0.33 μ m, and the fiber diameter distribution was uniform. The maximum porosity was 79.56% when the content of β -CD was 2%. After adding the β -CD, the tensile strength increased to 13.33 MPa and the elongation at break increased to 14.20% as well. With the β -CD content increasing, the adsorption capacity of the β -CD/PVDF composite films for Cu 2+ increased to 182.65 mg g −1 . In addition, the second-order kinetic model was suitable to describe the adsorption process, and the chemical adsorption was the predominant mechanism of the adsorption process due to the presence of β -CD. The results suggest that the β -CD/PVDF composite films may be a potential adsorbent for Cu 2+ adsorption.