Preparation of NANOFIBER Membranes for Air Filtration applications

  • Abdul Wahid Key Laboratory of Textile Science & Technology, Ministry Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
  • Hongnan Zhang Key Laboratory of Textile Science & Technology, Ministry Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
  • Xiaohong Qin Key Laboratory of Textile Science & Technology, Ministry Education, College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China

Abstract

Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers have been increasing in interest due to their unique morphology and characteristics. The morphology of PAN fibers can make it a promising candidate for air filtration applications. The nonwoven nanofiber membranes with surface morphology that can be produced by the electrospinning techniques in this research. PAN was chosen as a functional polymer especially for this purpose; it tends to produce a unique pore structure and nanoscale fiber diameters, while the distinct concentrations of polymer produce membranes. The relative amount of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) used as a solvent and fabricated beadles nanofibers was investigated. The air filtration experiment shows that nonwoven membranes with pore structures have advantages of higher filtration capability. The results indicate that the filtration efficiency of the nanofiber membranes is higher in the smallest pore size compared to the largest pore size structures. The maximum filtration efficiency is 99.99% at a 32 l/min airflow rate achieved. These membranes are used for the removal of contaminations from the air. The FESEM analysis shows that the surface morphology of membranes is a key factor for the high filtration efficiency. In addition, the nonwoven PAN nanofiber membranes can make their potential applications candidates in fields such as medicine, separation, and intelligent devices.

KEYWORDS: Electrospinning; Pan nanofibers; Unique pore structure; nanoscale diameter; Filtration.

 

Published
2025-07-29
Issue
Vol. 5 No. 2 (2025)
Section
Articles
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