Boehmite nanoparticles incorporated electrospun nylon-6 nanofiber web for new electret filter media

Abstract

Nylon-6 (PA6) nanofiber webs incorporated with boehmite nanoparticles as an electrostatic charging agent were electrospun and their fiber morphology was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). SEM showed that the median fiber diameter of the PA6 nanofibers was 73 nm and boehmite nanoparticles had little effect on the fiber diameter. The filtration performance of the nanofiber web was measured using 0.3 micron DOP aerosols at a 5.3 cm/s face velocity. Processed and corona charged PA6 nanofiber web showed significant improvement in the submicron aerosol capture efficiency without a change in the air flow resistance compared to the discharged nanofiber web. These results suggest that the electrospinning process imparted electrostatic charge efficiently on the PA6 nanofiber web, and the electrostatic surface potential of a nanofiber web is increased with the incorporation of boehmite nanoparticles.