Abstract
ABSTRACT The use of filters to control air quality has been implemented widely in all types of structures. Unfortunately, filters risk becoming platforms for the growth of bacteria, which can then be dispersed further in the air stream. To combat this, antibacterial materials are being incorporated into filter media. In this work, we tested two routes for introducing nanoscale silver into filters containing activated carbon fibers (ACF): first, by adding silver nanofibers directly to the fiber fabrication process and second, by coating a pre-existing filter with silver nanoparticles generated by a liquid flame spray (LFS). The resultant filters were evaluated for methanol adsorption, particle penetration and antibacterial activity. The results show that both methods are suitable for producing antibacterial filters as well as being highly tailorable and scalable for specific needs.
Highlights
Indoor air quality has an important role on human health (Jones, 1999), and, worryingly, its impacts can be seen in institutes such as schools (Daisey et al, 2003) and hospitals (Saad, 2002)
We introduce a scalable and tailorable approach for fabricating filters containing fibrous and particulate nanoscale silver and compare their antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli)
This mass concentration is determined after the first ejector diluter, after which the aerosol is directed to the filter holder; the mass concentration flowing into the filter holder is the same
Summary
Indoor air quality has an important role on human health (Jones, 1999), and, worryingly, its impacts can be seen in institutes such as schools (Daisey et al, 2003) and hospitals (Saad, 2002). One way to improve the quality of indoor air is to utilize filtration in the air conditioning system. Biocompatible carbon-based adsorptive materials can be used if volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as formaldehyde (Rumchev et al, 2002), are desired to be filtered from air alongside with the particulate matter. Due to their good biocompatibility, carbonbased materials could make the filters more susceptible to microbes (Yoon et al, 2008). Antimicrobial materials have been widely adopted in material
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