Electrospinning of Nanofibrous Membrane and Its Applications in Air Filtration: A Review

Abstract

Air pollution caused by particulate matter and toxic gases is violating individual’s health and safety. Nanofibrous membrane, being a reliable filter medium for particulate matter, has been extensively studied and applied in the field of air purification. Among the different fabrication approaches of nanofibrous membrane, electrospinning is considered as the most favorable and effective due to its advantages of controllable process, high production efficiency, and low cost. The electrospun membranes, made of different materials and unique structures, exhibit good PM2.5 filtration performance and multi-functions, and are used as masks and filters against PM2.5. This review presents a brief overview of electrospinning techniques, different structures of electrospun nanofibrous membranes, unique characteristics and functions of the fabricated membranes, and summarization of the outdoor and indoor applications in PM filtration.

Synthesis of Electrospun PAN/TiO2/Ag Nanofibers Membrane As Potential Air Filtration Media with Photocatalytic Activity

“…The performance of a nanofiber membrane as filtration media can be evaluated by several parameters, such as quality factor, efficiency, and pressure drop. 55 …”

Shape memory poly (glycerol sebacate)‐based electrospun fiber scaffolds for tissue engineering applications: A review

“…38 Once the electric field extends to a maximum value where the repulsive electric force beats the surface tensions of the polymer mixture, the polymer is ejected from the tip to a collector, resulting in solvent evaporation due to an unstable fast whipping of the jet and therefore results in the formation of fibers. 39,40 Electrospinning can be classified into solution electrospinning and melt electrospinning, where the latter is also identified as solvent-free electrospinning, 41 depending on the state of polymer used to produce the nanofiber membranes. The electrospinning technique has F I G U R E 4 Synthesis of poly(glycerol sebacate) 36 F I G U R E 5 Bending test of PGS with a recovery temperature of 18 C. from ref.…”

Highly Porous-Cellulose-Acetate-Nanofiber Filters Fabricated by Nonsolvent-Induced Phase Separation during Electrospinning for PM2.5 Capture

“…As filters based on CA are biodegradable after use, ecofriendly waste treatment is feasible. Furthermore, CA nanofibers manufactured by electrospinning have attractive advantages, such as high-filtering efficiency, low air resistance, light weight, and biocompatibility [7,[10][11][12]. However, to maximize the ability of CA nanofiber filters to capture PM 2.5 , it is necessary to improve their specific surface area through structural design.…”