Radially Oriented ZnO Nanowires on Flexible Poly‐ <scp>l</scp> ‐Lactide Nanofibers for Continuous‐Flow Photocatalytic Water Purification

Abstract

Several oxide ceramics, notably ZnO and TiO 2 are known to catalyze decomposition of organic molecules in water under ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Here we describe fabrication of highly flexible ZnO‐based hierarchical nanostructure obtained by growing radially oriented ZnO nanowires on poly‐ l ‐lactide nanofibers. Utilizing the flexibility and high surface area of polymeric nanofibers as novel substrate for growth of the photochemically active ZnO nanowires we show a proof‐of‐principle demonstration of a continuous flow water treatment setup. We have monitored photocatalytic decomposition of known organic pollutants, such as methylene blue, monocrotophos, and diphenylamine under illumination with UV light using this highly flexible hierarchical nanostructure.