Abstract
In this study, poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/zein/Ag nanoparticle (AgNP) fibrous membranes were prepared by ultrasonication-assisted electrospinning. The effects of the AgNP content and ultrasonication time on the membrane morphology, chemical structure, biodegradability, mechanical properties, antibacterial/antiviral activity, and air filtration performance were studied. The best-performing membrane (AgNP content = 1% (w/v), sonication time = 30 min) exhibited a bead-on-string morphology, an air permeability of 93.6 ± 1.5 mm s−1, and the Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus removal efficiencies of 98.1 ± 1.2% and 97.4 ± 2.5%, respectively. In an experiment with E. coli phage, the above-mentioned membrane exhibited a 97.1 ± 2.1% virus removal efficiency after 60 min. The high performance of this bead-on-string membrane for air filtration was ascribed to the low packing density due to the presence of open interconnected beaded airflow channels and small beads.
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