Abstract: A novel Polyacrylonitrile/β-cyclodextrin (PAN/β-CD) nanofibrous membrane (PAN/β-CDnfm) for molecular adsorption was successfully prepared by electrospinning from a homogeneous solution of β-CD and PAN in DMF. PAN/β-CDnfm with the different weight % of β-CD (0 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 30 wt.%, 60 wt.%) was characterized by scanning electronic microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. The SEM results showed that the increasing concentration of β-CD in the fibrous membrane improved the fibrous morphology. The viscosity and conductivity of electrospinning solutions were influenced by the addition of β-CD. The studies of FTIR and XRD were proved that β-CD molecules were combined with the PAN nanofibers. In the adsorption study, methylene blue (MB) was used as a model molecule. By UV-vis spectra, PAN/β-CDnfm showed the efficient adsorption ability for MB via the formation of inclusion complexes with β-CD, which indicated that the β-CD functionalized nanofibers may be utilized in purification/separation processes, electrochemical sensor, drug delivery, and so on.

Key words: Electrospinning, Polyacrylonitrile, β-Cyclodextrin, Adsorption