Abstract
Environmentally friendly face masks with high filtration efficiency are in urgent need to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as other airborne viruses, bacteria and particulate matters. In this study, coaxial electrospinning was employed to fabricate a lithium chloride enhanced cellulose acetate/thermoplastic polyurethanes (CA/TPU-LiCl) face mask nanofiber filtration membrane, which was biodegradable and reusable. The analysis results show that the CA/TPU-LiCl membrane had an excellent filtration performance: when the filtration efficiency reached 99.8%, the pressure drop was only 52 Pa. The membrane also had an outstanding reusability. The filtration performance maintained at 98.2% after 10 test cycles, and an alcohol immersion disinfection treatment showed no effect on its filtration performance. In summary, the CA/TPU-LiCl nanofiber membrane made in this work is a promising biodegradable and reusable filtration material with a wide range of potential applications, including high-performance face mask.
Highlights
Engineering measures such as dust reduction, dust suppression, dust capture and dust exhaust are restricted by places and occupations; COVID-19 still lacks specific therapeutic drugs, and mass vaccination requires a long period with high cost
The cellulose acetate (CA)-xLiCl membrane was collected on the grounded roller at a rotating speed of r/min with melt solution and 18 wt% thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) were put in separated syringes, respectively, for coaxial spinning
When Lithium chloride (LiCl) was added to the mixed solution, the electrical conductivity of the solution was improved, which improved
Summary
In the past a few decades, air pollution, especially particulate matters, has significantly intensified with the acceleration of industrialization, which has seriously affected people’s life quality and health [1]. Nanofiber membrane prepared with electrospinning technology can achieve high filtration performance through small fiber diameter and pore size [5]. Yang et al [8] prepared a PSA/PAN-B composite nanofiber-based filters by electrospinning, which showed high filtration efficiency (up to 99.52 ± 0.32%), low pressure drop (45.16 ± 1.39 Pa), excellent flexibility, good mechanical properties, high thermal stability (up to about 300 ◦ C), and excellent chemical resistance. It is urgent to develop biodegradable and reusable materials with high filtration efficiency for face masks [4]. A cellulose acetate (CA) based filtration membrane, which was biodegradable and reusable, was prepared with electrospinning technology. The effects of fiber diameter on membrane pore size and filtration performance were investigated, reusability of the membrane was studied
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
