Evaluations of Electrostatic Filtration Efficiency and Antibacterial Efficacy of Antibacterial Electret Polypropylene Filters: Effects of Using Low Molecular Antibacterial Agent as Additive

Abstract

In recent years, air filtration has been gaining much attention, and now people are much more concerned about antibacterial filters due to the spreading of COVID-19. The electret polypropylene (PP) nonwoven fabrics possess excellent filtration efficiency but a limited antibacterial effect against S. aureus and E. coli, and therefore triclosan is used in this study. Serving as an antibacterial agent, triclosan with a low molecular weight is an effective additive for the test results, indicating that the presence of triclosan strengthens the antibacterial effects of the filters. In addition, triclosan also strengthens the PP’s crystallinity, which in turn betters the filtration efficiency of the filters concurrently. Demonstrating powerful filtration and antibacterial performances, the antibacterial electret PP filters are highly qualified for filter applications.

Simultaneous Capture and Inactivation of Airborne Bacteria by a Dual-Zone Electrostatically Actuated Filter

“…Although nanofiber filters exhibit exceptional efficiency, they have a common problem of high air resistance . Some studies enhanced filter media with additional electrostatic force to reduce air resistance. , Choi et al fabricated a polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/Al filter and used an ionizer to charge the polluted inlet air, showing high capture efficiency of ∼99.99% and high antimicrobial activity of ∼94.8 and ∼96.9% against airborne E. coli and S.…”

Ultrathin fluoroacrylic coating wrapped microporous non-woven fabrics as efficient air filtration membranes

“…The results of the assessment of bacteriostasis confirmed that the surface of the wrap-coated non-woven fabric had good surface bacteriostasis against E. coli, C. albicans , and S. aureus due to the dual effects of chemical stability of the fluoroacrylic copolymer coating and nano-protrusion morphology (Table S7, ESI†). 7…”