Electrospun silk fibroin/TiO(2) mats. Preparation, characterization and efficiency for the photocatalytic solar treatment of pesticide polluted water

The photocatalytic properties of silk fibroin (SF) incorporating TiO(2) nanoparticles using an electrospinning technique were examined. Electrospun SF/TiO(2) mats were successfully prepared and characterized by different techniques (XRD, FE-SEM, XPS, XDS, FTIR and BET). The photocatalytic efficiency of these materials were assessed by their ability to degrade four pesticides (boscalid, hexythiazox, pyraclostrobin and trifloxystrobin) in water exposed to solar irradiation. The effect of catalyst loading on the disappearance kinetics of the different pesticides was studied in order to determine the maximum degradation efficiency. The degradation rate significantly increases upon adding the TiO(2). However, no significant differences (p < 0.05) were observed when the TiO(2) loading was increased from 25 to 50 mg for most compounds. Thus, SF mats with 25 mg of TiO(2) were selected. Therefore, a new and simple approach to produce materials with photocatalytic activity, safety and potential application in the purification of water contaminated by pesticides has been developed.