ZnO-PLLA/PLLA Preparation and Application in Air Filtration by Electrospinning Technology

Abstract

With the increasing environmental pollution caused by disposable masks, it is crucial to develop new degradable filtration materials for medical masks. ZnO-PLLA/PLLA (L-lactide) copolymers prepared from nano ZnO and L-lactide were used to prepare fiber films for air filtration by electrospinning technology. Structural characterization of ZnO-PLLA by H-NMR, XPS, and XRD demonstrated that ZnO was successfully grafted onto PLLA. An L9(43) standard orthogonal array was employed to evaluate the effects of the ZnO-PLLA concentration, ZnO-PLLA/PLLA content, DCM(dichloromethane) to DMF(N,N-dimethylformamide) ratio, and spinning time on the air filtration capacity of ZnO-PLLA/PLLA nanofiber films. It is noteworthy that the introduction of ZnO is important for the enhancement of the quality factor (QF). The optimal group obtained was sample No. 7, where the QF was 0.1403 Pa−1, the particle filtration efficiency (PFE) was 98.3%, the bacteria filtration efficiency (BFE) was 98.42%, and the airflow resistance (Δp) was 29.2 Pa. Therefore, the as-prepared ZnO-PLLA/PLLA film has potential for the development of degradable masks.

Stereocomplexation-Enhanced Electroactivity of Poly(lactic acid) Nanofibrous Membranes for Long-Term PM Capturing and Remote Respiratory Monitoring

“…The significant decline in pressure drop is presumably due to the increased porosity, resulting from the significant fiber refinement (Table S1). 65 The quality factor (QF) of electrospun membranes was determined to evaluate the filtration capacity. As shown in Figure 5c, the QF of self-powered PLA NFMs improved when PDLA was increased, demonstrating excellent removal performance for the self-powered PLA NFMs due to enhanced stereocomplexation.…”