The global COVID-19
pandemic has raised great public concern about
the airborne transmission of viral pathogens. Virus-laden aerosols
with small size could be suspended in the air for a long duration
and remain infectious. Among a series of measures implemented to mitigate
the airborne spread of infectious diseases, filtration by face masks,
respirators, and air filters is a potent nonpharmacologic intervention.
Compared with conventional air filtration media, nanofibrous membranes
fabricated via electrospinning are promising candidates for controlling
airborne viruses due to their desired characteristics, i.e., a reduced
pore size (submicrometers to several micrometers), a larger specific
surface area and porosity, and retained surface and volume charges.
So far, a wide variety of electrospun nanofibrous membranes have been
developed for aerosol filtration, and they have shown excellent filtration
performance. However, current studies using electrospinning for controlling
airborne viruses vary significantly in the practice of aerosol filtration
tests, including setup configurations and operations. The discrepancy
among various studies makes it difficult, if not impossible, to compare
filtration performance. Therefore, there is a pressing need to establish
a standardized protocol for evaluating the electrospun nanofibrous
membranes’ performance for removing viral aerosols. In this
perspective, we first reviewed the properties and performance of diverse
filter media, including electrospun nanofibrous membranes, for removing
viral aerosols. Next, aerosol filtration protocols for electrospun
nanofibrous membranes were discussed with respect to the aerosol generation,
filtration, collection, and detection. Thereafter, standardizing the
aerosol filtration test system for electrospun nanofibrous membranes
was proposed. In the end, the future advancement of electrospun nanofibrous
membranes for enhanced air filtration was discussed. This perspective
provides a comprehensive understanding of status and challenges of
electrospinning for air filtration, and it sheds light on future nanomaterial
and protocol development for controlling airborne viruses, preventing
the spread of infectious diseases, and beyond.