Abstract
Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) pollutant particles have been identified as significant participants in air pollution, thus, special attention is paid to air filtration as a method of their efficient removal. A novel and simple method of producing nanofiber-based filters for efficient PM2.5 capture with multiple active components are proposed. Electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer was used both as a base filter material and as a precursor for producing microporous carbon nanofibers (MCNFs), which incorporated into the nanofibrous structure of the filter media. The fabricated PAN/MCNFs filters could reach removal efficiency of PM2.5 pollutant particles of up to 99% for with polluted air airflow velocity of 500 ml min−1, showing greater pollutant particle binding affinity with incorporated MCNFs. Experiments also show enhanced mechanical and thermal properties of studied air filters, with the addition of MCNFs – more than 4% and 6% increase in storage modulus and cyclization temperature in comparison to the base PAN filter, respectively. While using a facemask with inserted PAN/MCNFs filter, a reduced temperature variation in the facial region of the user was recorded – several degrees less when compared to a commonly used 3 M Aura 9320+ mask. This opens a possibility of their application in both industrial air filtering and as filters in facemask production.
Published Version
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