Adsorption of methyl orange onto electrospun nanofiber membranes of PLLA coated with pTSA-PANI.

This work evaluates the performance of electrospun nanofiber membranes of PLLA coated with p-toluenesulfonic acid doped polyaniline (pTSA-PANI). The adsorption on the prepared membranes of methyl orange (MO), taken as an example of anionic organic dye pollutants, was studied. The effects of different parameters on the adsorption capacity and removal efficiency, such as MO concentration, temperature, adsorbent dosage, pH, and ionic strength of the solution, were investigated. The results indicate the beneficial effect of coating PLLA membranes with pTSA-PANI in promoting the adsorption performance of the membranes. The grounds behind this enhancement are discussed. The adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms were performed. DC conductivity and AC impedance measurements of the studied membranes were conducted. The values were correlated to MO concentrations, suggesting the potential capacity of the current membrane to be used as a sensor of MO concentration. Graphical abstract.