Robust Biobased Membrane: Self-Entangled Cellulose Nanofibrils–ZnO–Ag Composite with High Photocatalytic Performance for Efficient Dye-Contaminated Water Treatment

This study presents a simple and effective method for fabricating a porous photocatalyst composite membrane with excellent wet strength, utilizing cellulose nanofibril (CNF) and zinc oxide-silver (ZnO-Ag) nanorod (NRs) for treating dye-contaminated water. The self-standing CNF membrane with a high wet strength was prepared by NaOH treatment. Besides wet strength, NaOH treatment also controlled the pore characteristics of the CNF membrane, which could tightly attach NRs in them. The photocatalyst composite was prepared by simply drop-drying ZnO-Ag NRs onto the CNF membrane, ensuring attachment within the pores. The photocatalytic activity of the composite was evaluated for the degradation of the methylene blue dye under visible light. Despite the straightforward drop-drying method used to cast the ZnO-Ag NRs onto the CNF membrane, the NRs were not washed out when in contact with water, re…