Functionalized electrospun carbon nanofibers for removal of cationic dye

Electrospun carbon nanofibers (ECNFs) have attracted significant attention in recent years as relatively inexpensive alternative to carbon nanotubes for adsorption organic pollutants. In this study, ECNFs were fabricated from polyacrylonitrile (PAN) using an electrospinning technique, followed by carbonization and oxidation via treatment with a H₂SO₄/HNO₃ mixture. The prepared oxidized electrospun carbon nanofibers (O-ECNFs) were characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The O-ECNFs were used as nano-adsorbents for the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The adsorption of MB by the O-ECNFs was studied as a function of pH, time, adsorbent dosage, MB concentration, and temperature. ECNF functionalization enhanced the adsorption capacity towards MB dye compared pristine ECNFs. Detailed analysis of the adsorption kinetics showed that the adsorption process followed a pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption isotherm was best fit by the Langmuir model. The thermodynamic results showed that MB adsorption onto the O-ECNFs was endothermic and spontaneous.