A Hydrophilic Cu ₂ O/PAN Porous Nanofiber Membrane with Excellent Reusability for Highly Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Degradation of Tetracycline

Heterogeneous catalyst-mediated photocatalysis is widely acknowledged as a highly promising approach for the efficient degradation of persistent antibiotics in water. In this study, a hydrophilic Cu₂O/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) porous nanofiber membrane was synthesized by the electrospinning technique combined with a convenient poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-assisted template-removal method for photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline (TC). The Cu₂O/PAN porous nanofibers (NFs) exhibited excellent photocatalytic degradation activity under visible-light irradiation, with degradation efficiencies and kinetic constants that were approximately 1.55-fold and 2.35-fold higher than those of nonporous Cu₂O/PAN NFs, respectively. This enhancement resulted from a greater exposure of active components and a more hydrophilic fiber structure. Moreover, this composite fiber demonstrated exceptional stability, still maintaining a TC degradation rate of over 95% even after eight cycles, effectively addressing the instability and poor recyclability issues of Cu₂O nanoparticles (NPs). In addition, this multifunctional nanofiber exhibited outstanding antibacterial activity against <i>S. aureus</i> and <i>E. coli</i>, achieving over 99% bacterial inhibition with a minimal nanofiber dosage under dark conditions. This work provides profound insights into the rational design and scalable fabrication of the porous multifunctional nanofiber membranes, thereby laying a solid foundation for the practical applications in water purification and antimicrobial materials.