Metallophthalocyanine/polyacrylonitrile nanofibers by solution blow spinning technique for enhanced photocatalytic activity by visible light

A novel photocatalyst, nano-sized zinc and cobalt phthalocyanines (MPc), are anchored on polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers in the presence or absence of TiO₂ and the process was realized with an innovative solution blow spinning (SBS) method for the first time. Novel nanofiber composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy techniques. According to the SEM micrographs, the immobilization of nano-Pcs on the surface of PAN nanofibers was uniform and does not involve agglomeration. The MPc/PAN composite yielded nearly complete degradation of methylene blue (MB) of a highly photocatalytic nature. It was also found that the presence of TiO₂ on MPc/PAN composite have no effect on photodegradation of MB. Also, the recycling of new photocatalysts required as little change as possible owing to their macroscopic structure and their flexible nature.