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ABSTRACT
Developed a bilayered nanofibrous membrane, aimed to achieve a new class of air filtering media that can capture particulate matter, microbes and can also adsorb the harmful toxic gaseous components like formaldehyde (primary indoor pollutant). A layer of oriented nanofibers prepared via coaxial electrospinning with poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) as core, polyacrylonitrile/polyethylenimine blended polymer as shell and another layer of randomly aligned nanofibers (polyacrylonitrile-silver nanoparticle nanofibers produced using single-nozzle electrospinning) were put together, to provide stable porous structure and induce multilevel filtration. The successful synthesis of this robust coaxial-based nanofibrous filter medium would not only make it a promising candidate for air filtration, but it will provide a new insight into designing and fabricating composite coaxial nanofiber-based membranes by incorporating various functional materials into shell for toxic gas adsorption related applications and the core can be of a mechanically robust material to address the easily collapsing cavity structure of nanofibers. The results revealed that the developed filter with superior mechanical property (11.88 MPa by virtue of poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) fiber macromolecule that existed as rigid skeletal structure) can provide high removal efficiencies of 99.23% toward particulate matter, 99.6% toward bacterial aerosols, adsorb formaldehyde an indoor toxic gaseous pollutant and have potential antimicrobial effects against Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis while maintaining low pressure drop of 53.03 MPa, which to the best of our knowledge, has never been accomplished with a single filter medium before.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support from the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi, India, to carry out this research work successfully. (Sanction number – 09/468/(0535) 2019 EMR – I).
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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Notes on contributors
Berly Robert
Dr. Berly Robert is a researcher who recently completed her Ph.D. in nanoscience and nanotechnology from Faculty of Technology, Anna University, Chennai, India in 2023. She also completed her M.Tech. in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology technology from Sathyabama University, Chennai, India. Her research is primarily dedicated to exploring the electrospinning process and developing multifunctional nano-composites with diverse application particularly in environmental remediation such as air filtration purposes. Her current research interests include application of electrospun nanofibers for wearable/flexible electronics, and for energy storage applications.
Gobi Nallathambi
Dr. N Gobi is a Professor in the Department of Textile Technology at Anna University, Chennai, India. He holds an M.Tech. and PhD in nanomaterial and its application from Anna University, where he has established himself as a prominent figure in the field of Textile Technology. With over 60 research articles published in esteemed journals and seven Indian patents to his name, Dr. Gobi's expertise spans various areas including filtration, fiber science, high-performance fibers, and electrospinning. His research focuses on enhancing filtration systems, investigating fiber properties, and developing advanced materials through electrospinning.