Solution Blow Spinning (SBS) Nanofibers for Composite\nAir Filter Masks

Abstract

Particulate matter\n(PM) pollution in the air has become a serious\nenvironmental issue that has demanding requirements for the fabrication\nof new materials. In this study, three different types of nanofiber\nmaterials (i.e., cellulose diacetate (CDA), poly­(acrylonitrile) (PAN),\nand poly­(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)) produced from solution blow\nspinning were used in composite multilayered filter masks, and their\nfiltration performance for particulate matter of at least 2.5 μm\nin size (PM2.5) was evaluated. PM2.5 capture efficiency and nanofiber\nfilter pressure drop were tested using the fabricated set-up with\nsimulated burnt cigarette smoke as a source of PM2.5. Filter mask\nperformance using different nanofiber materials was evaluated through\ntheir corresponding quality factors (QF). Among the three nanofibers\ntested, PAN nanofiber has the highest filtration performance with\na quality factor of 0.05 Pa^–1 and acceptable air\npermeability. PVDF has the lowest air filter quality among all the\nnanofibers studied, with a quality factor of 0.02 Pa^–1. Insights on the high performance of the nanofiber materials in\nfilter masks are further discussed in this study. Aside from the nanoscale\nadvantage of the nanofibers tested, it is argued that the different\nmolecular functionalities present in the polymeric nanofibers have\na significant influence on its filtration performance. In conclusion,\nall nanofibers used in this study have better filter performances\ncompared to the commercial surgical masks.