Multilayer adsorption and kinetic studies of dyes on pure and structurally modified poly(methyl methacrylate) electrospun nanofibers

Abstract Natural fibers and materials are well known for adsorption studies, whereas synthetic fibers have not received enough attention in this field. Therefore, an attempt is made here to study the adsorption properties of synthetic poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) nanofibers and methods for improving or modifying their adsorption properties. PMMA nanofibers are prepared by the most recent electrospinning technique and the structural, and hence, the adsorption properties of the PMMA nanofibers are modified by preparing them in surface-roughened and coaxial hollow forms through electrospinning. Studies of the adsorption of methylene blue (MB) and brilliant green (BG) dyes by the three types of PMMA nanofiber demonstrate that all the PMMA nanofibers show a certain amount of adsorption. Fiber samples that had adsorbed MB and BG were subjected to various adsorption isotherms which confirmed the multilayer adsorption properties of the fiber samples by satisfying various isotherms, mainly the Freundlich and Elovich adsorption isotherms. Kinetic studies of pure and structurally modified PMMA nanofibers that had adsorbed MB and BG dyes proved that the intraparticle diffusion model applied to these fiber samples. Here, it is also shown that the adsorption properties of electrospun synthetic fibers can be further improved by structural modification using the possibilities of electrospinning.