A novel multi-gradient PASS nanofibrous membranes with outstanding particulate matter removal efficiency and excellent antimicrobial property

Abstract

Air pollution, especially tiny pollutant particles and harmful microorganisms, has become a serious environmental issue, bringing great damage to human body. Air filtration has been a widely used and effective method for air purification. However, the addition of antimicrobial agents usually leads to the agglomeration and the toxicity of the filter material. Here, a versatile poly (aryl sulfide sulfone)/graphene oxide@silver (PASS/GO@Ag) air filtration membrane was fabricated by in-situ reduction and electrospinning approach, resulting in high filtration efficiency and excellent biocompatibility. The results showed that GO@Ag antimicrobial agent was successfully synthetized. The Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on the GO surface not only increased the antimicrobial property but also reduced the agglomeration of the antimicrobial agent. Meanwhile, GO@Ag was wrapped on the surface of the PASS nanofibers by ultrasonication to form a rough surface to further improve the filtration efficiency. The as-prepared PASS/GO@Ag membrane exhibited high air filtration performance (99.63 ± 0.34 %, 79.17 ± 1.07 Pa). Besides, it also showed excellent antimicrobial properties and good biocompatibility. The antibacterial rates of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) were 99.57 ± 1.04 % and 97.93 ± 1.31 %, respectively. More importantly, the PASS/GO@Ag membrane could endow long-term use for one month, with the antibacterial rates of E. coli and S. aureus of 96.52 ± 1.20 % and 94.48 ± 1.13 %, respectively. Therefore, the developed membrane will have great potential for personal air filtration.