Electrospun Maltodextrin Fibers for Efficient Removal of Nanoparticles, Atenolol, and Crystal Violet: Preparation and Characterization

Maltodextrins are promising, sustainable, and low-cost materials suitable for environmental remediation applications. This study developed eco-friendly electrospun cross-linked fibers from maltodextrins (GLU2), combined with betaine, lysine, and cysteine. The resulting fibers exhibited a well-defined bead-free structure, good thermal stability, and successfully incorporated nitrogen functional groups. They were subsequently tested for removing water pollutants, including metal nanoparticles, crystal violet, and atenolol. Adsorption tests revealed that GLU2 fibers achieved 82% atenolol removal, although the performance was limited for silver nanoparticles, likely due to particle aggregation. The combination with lysine proved to be the most effective for gold nanoparticle removal, while cysteine-modified GLU2 fibers achieved up to 98% removal of crystal violet. These findings highlight the potential of amino acid-modified maltodextrin electrospun mats as effective adsorbents for water remediation.