In situ synthesis of chemically active ZIF coordinated with electrospun fibrous film for heavy metal removal with a high flux

In this work, Zeoliticimidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8)-based hybrid nanofibrous films were successfully fabricated by a simple strategy of in situ loading on a polymer substrate. In addition, the hybrid film was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. This hybrid-structure nanofibrous web was applied in heavy metal treatment by combining the unique properties of microporous material as active sizes for heavy metal adsorption with a high surface area of electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) film as the porous substrate. This structure performed with a high permeation flux of 180 L/(m2·h·psi), and the capacity of heavy metal removal from water increased more than three times compared with pure electrospun PAN film. Moreover, the capacity of heavy metal removal was maintained after several recycling processes, which is a significant characteristic of the hybrid electrospun film as a filtering membrane. The hybrid electrospun film is suitable for heavy metal removal from water.