Preparing Macro-Mesoporous Membranes Based on Carbon-Nanotube-Supported “Rattan-Like” Amyloid Protein Nanofibers for High-Performance Removal of Congo Red

Herein, a unique “rattan-like” three-dimensional porous fiber membrane is fabricated by integrating carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into amyloid bovine serum albumin fibers (ABFs). Specifically, the CNTs are embedded as an inner interpenetrating framework to organize a thoroughly connected macro-mesoporous architecture. The distinctive “rattan-like” reticular microstructure is instrumental in minimizing hydraulic resistance, maximizing the availability of adsorption sites, and enhancing dye mass transfer. Comprehensive physical characterizations have been conducted, revealing highly porous structures (55.3 m2/g) and a multimodal pore size distribution with an average diameter of 41.8 nm, both beneficial for adsorption. As expected, the ABF/CNT membrane exhibits an extraordinary adsorption capacity of 682.9 mg/g for Congo red, rapid kinetics (90% of its adsorption equilibrium within 150 min), and good reusability that dropped by 24.7% efficiency even after 15 cycles. Furthermore, the introduction of staggered macropores has significantly enhanced the porous mass transfer factor ([kLa]d), which in turn has improved the global mass transfer factor ([kLa]g). The simple fabrication and efficient performance of the “rattan-like” ABF/CNT membrane make it highly capable of alleviating CR contamination problems as a biological adsorbent.