Abstract
The incorporation of metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) in fiber filters is an effective approach to enhance the specific surface area and surface roughness of the fiber, hence improving their efficiency for fine dust capture and other gas treatment or biological applications. Nevertheless, uneven distribution of NPs limits their practical applications. In this study, a commercial silane coupling agent (3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane) was used to improve the dispersion of zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs in thin polyacrylonitrile fibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that the fibers incorporating the silane-modified NPs exhibited better distribution of NPs than those prepared with pristine ZnO NPs. The silane modification enhanced the specific surface area, surface roughness, and fiber porosity. In particular, the nanofiber filter incorporating 12 wt% ZnO NPs modified with 0.5 g silane per g of ZnO NPs maintained a filtration efficiency of 99.76% with a low pressure drop of 44 Pa, excellent antibacterial activity, and could decompose organic methylene blue dye with an efficiency of 85.11% under visible light.
Highlights
These results demonstrate that modification with the silane coupling agent plays an effective role in preventing particle agglomeration
zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs were modified with a silane coupling agent to avoid their agglomeration in PAN nanofiber and, ensure the homogenous distribution of NPs within the nanofiber
The nanofiber prepared with silane-modified ZnO NPs showed obvious improvement in specific surface area, surface roughness, and fiber porosity compared to the nanofiber prepared with pristine ZnO NPs
Summary
Particulate matter (PM) pollution is a major risk that threatens human health in many regions of the world (WHO 2021). PM1.0 (i.e., particulate matter smaller than 1 micrometer) has gained much interest due to its ability to penetrate deep into the human lungs and interact with lung or bronchial cells. Inhalation of PM can cause heart disease, lung cancer, chronic and acute respiratory disease such as asthma, and infections due to carried viruses and bacteria [3]. Recent studies have reported that the main pathway of COVID-19 infection is the inhalation of airborne respiratory droplets and aerosols [4,5]. Protection against fine particulate matter and its associated pollutants has become the focus of recent research [6,7]
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