Necklace-like fiber composite membrane for high-efficiency particulate matter capture

Abstract

The necklace-like fiber membranes are fabricated using electrospinning technique for high-efficiency PM (particulate matter) capture. Poly-N,N′-[(4,5-dihydroxy-1,2 phenylene)bis(methylene)]bisacrylamide (POHABA) nanospheres as “pearls” are embedded in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) matrix substrates to make necklace-like fibers. The reason for choosing POHABA nanospheres is due to their broad-spectrum inhibitory effect on bacteria. The diameters of three POHABA nanospheres are controlled to be 190±50, 364±39 and 467±65nm, respectively. The necklace-like structures become more pronounced with the increase of POHABA diameter. The PM2.5 removal efficiencies of PEO necklace-like fiber membranes obtained with electrospinning time of half an hour are in the range from 88.0 to 92.5%. Under the same fabrication conditions, the PEO/POHABA-467 fiber membrane displays better capture efficiency than that of PVP/POHABA-467 fiber membrane. Using thicker PEO/POHABA-467 filter membrane (electrospinning for one hour), excellent removal efficiency of PM2.5 (99.2%) is achieved, which is better than that obtained from other membranes and even commercial QMA filter (Whatman). The necklace-like fiber membranes have a great potential in the fields of aero filter and mask.