Electrospun Silver Coated Polyacrylonitrile Membranes for Water Filtration Applications.

The scarcity of drinking water and the contamination of water sources in underdeveloped countries are serious problems that require immediate low-tech and low-cost solutions. In this study, we fabricated polyacrylonitrile (PAN) porous membranes coated with silver nanoparticles (AgNP) and demonstrated their use for water filtration and water treatment applications. The membranes were prepared by electrospinning a PAN solution and treating in a hydroxylamine (NH₂OH) aqueous solution to form ⁻C(NH₂)N⁻OH groups that were used for functionalization (Ag⁺ ions) of the membrane.