Abstract
Through the direct decomposition of an Al precursor ink AlH3{O(C4H9)2}, we fabricated an Al-coated conductive fiber filter for the efficient electrostatic removal of airborne particles (>99%) with a low pressure drop (~several Pascals). The effects of the electrical and structural properties of the filters were investigated in terms of collection efficiency, pressure drop, and particle deposition behavior. The collection efficiency did not show a significant correlation with the extent of electrical conductivity, as the filter is electrostatically charged by the metallic Al layers forming electrical networks throughout the fibers. Most of the charged particles were collected via surface filtration by Coulombic interactions; consequently, the filter thickness had little effect on the collection efficiency. Based on simulations of various fiber structures, we found that surface filtration can transition to depth filtration depending on the extent of interfiber distance. Therefore, the effects of structural characteristics on collection efficiency varied depending on the degree of the fiber packing density. This study will offer valuable information pertaining to the development of a conductive metal/polymer composite air filter for an energy-efficient and high-performance electrostatic filtration system.
Highlights
Fibrous air filters constructed with random networks of microscale and/or nanoscale fibers are applied to various air filtration systems because they are inexpensive, light, and simple to install
Examples include electret filters with electrostatic effects arising from quasi-permanent electrical charges on dielectric polymer fibers[11,12,13,14], nanofiber filters made of highly polar polymers showing high binding affinity to PM15–17, and fibrous filters hybridized with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibiting the slip flow effect at the CNT surfaces[18,19]
We introduced an Al-coated conductive fiber (ALCF) filter with a low pressure drop that utilizes electrostatic precipitation technology
Summary
Fibrous air filters constructed with random networks of microscale and/or nanoscale fibers are applied to various air filtration systems because they are inexpensive, light, and simple to install. Examples include electret filters with electrostatic effects arising from quasi-permanent electrical charges on dielectric polymer fibers[11,12,13,14], nanofiber filters made of highly polar polymers showing high binding affinity to PM15–17, and fibrous filters hybridized with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) exhibiting the slip flow effect at the CNT surfaces[18,19]. These novel approaches suggest physicochemical structures of filter fibers capable of improving collection efficiency without a severe degradation in air permeability, but they still require a relatively high packing density of the fibers to achieve a collection www.nature.com/scientificreports/. The extent of charges and the electric field strength of the fibers could be controlled using an external high-voltage device owing to the excellent conductivity of the ALCF filter
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