Electrospun Antimicrobial PVDF‐DTAB Nanofibrous Membrane for Air Filtration: Effect of DTAB on Structure, Morphology, Adhesion, and Antibacterial Properties

Abstract

Antimicrobial polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane modified by dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) has been electrospun using simple one‐step technology, where the modifying agent DTAB is dissolved in spinning solution. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrokinetic analysis confirm reliably the presence of DTAB on the nanofibers surfaces; electrokinetic analysis shows the changes of zeta potential due to modification by DTAB. X‐ray diffraction shows that electrospinning converts the part of α phase (≈40%) present in PVDF powder into β phase with all trans (TTT) zigzag chains conformation in PVDF electrospun membrane. Surface modification does not affect the phase composition of PVDF nanofibers, just only leads to lower crystallinity (smaller size of crystallites) in PVDF nanofibers. DTAB causes the curling of fibers and their aggregation, what completely changed the membrane structure. DTAB‐modified membrane exhibits antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus subsp. Aureus. Concentration of 0.5 wt% DTAB in spinning solution causes partial inhibition of bacterial growth only, while 1.0 wt% concentration leads to complete inhibition.

Antibacterial electrospun membrane prepared from poly (vinylidene fluoride)-co-hexafluoropropylene with lauric acid monoacylglycerol

“…Unlike e.g. dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide used as antibacterial agent in [15], monoacylglycerol MAG C12 does not change the structure of the fibres.…”

Waterproof and Breathable Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes

“…[41,42] Besides, its inherently good hydrophobicity, high chemical corrosion resistance, and heat resistance, render it to be the most commonly used hydrophobic polymer for the fabrication of W&B nanofibrous membranes. [43] Some researchers had fabricated pure electrospun PVDF W&B membranes with thick fibers and large pores, thus the resultant materials exhibited limited waterproof performance and poor mechanical properties. [44,45] In this sense, considerable efforts have been focused on optimizing the porous structure of PVDF membranes to improve their application performance.…”

“…PVDF is a tough, stable fluoropolymer with low‐free‐energy and is easy to be dissolved in conventional solvents as compared with polymers like polypropylene (PP), polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) . Besides, its inherently good hydrophobicity, high chemical corrosion resistance, and heat resistance, render it to be the most commonly used hydrophobic polymer for the fabrication of W&B nanofibrous membranes . Some researchers had fabricated pure electrospun PVDF W&B membranes with thick fibers and large pores, thus the resultant materials exhibited limited waterproof performance and poor mechanical properties .…”

Preparation of a composite coating film via vapor induced phase separation for air purification and real-time bacteria photocatalytic inactivation

“…Interception of solid contaminants in air can be realized by membrane filtration [ 7 , 8 ], which has advantages such as high efficiency, energy saving, and facile application in a massive scale. In order to effectively block the contaminants in air, proper pore dimension is required for the membrane [ 9 ].…”