Biodegradable and high-performance multiscale structured nanofiber membrane as mask filter media via poly(lactic acid) electrospinning.

The usage of single-use face masks (SFMs) has increased since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. However, non-degradability and mismanagement of SFMs have raised serious environmental concerns. Moreover, both melt-blown and nanofiber-based mask filters inevitably suffer from poor filtration performance, like a continuous decrease in the removal efficiency for particulate matter (PM) and weak breathability. Herein, we report a new method to create biodegradable and reusable fibrous mask filters. The filter consists of a true nanoscale bio-based poly(lactic acid) (PLA) fiber (an average size of 37 ± 4 nm) that is fabricated via electrospinning of an extremely dilute solution. Furthermore, we designed a multiscale structure with integrated features, such as low basis weight (0.91 g m-2), small pore size (0.73 µm), and high porosity (91.72%), formed by electrospinning deposition of true nanoscale fibers on large pore of 3D scaffold nanofiber membranes. The resultant mask filter exhibited a high filtration efficiency (PM0.3-99.996%) and low pressure drop (104 Pa) superior to the commercial N95 filter. Importantly, this filter has a durable filtering efficiency for PM and natural biodegradability based on PLA. Therefore, this study offers an innovative strategy for the preparation of PLA nanofibers and provides a new design for high-performance nanofiber filters.

PAN/FPU Composite Nanofiber Membrane with Superhydrophobic and Superoleophobic Surface as a Filter Element for High‐Efficiency Protective Masks

Recently, because of the outbreak of COVID‐19, the demand for various types of filter elements in protective materials has increased globally. Furthermore, new requirements for the filtration performance of PM2.5 liquid (oil) particles have been put forward. In this work, Superhydrophobic and superoleophobic composite nanofibers with excellent filtration capacity for oil and salt particles are developed through the modification of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) by fluoro‐polyurethane (FPU) doping. The results show that the PAN/FPU composite nanofibers doped with 9 wt% FPU has a uniform fiber morphology with a diameter of 240 ± 30 nm. Compared to the pure PAN nanofibers, the water‐based contact angle of PAN/FPU increases from 90 ± 5° to 151 ± 5°, and the oil‐based contact angle increases from 58 ± 2° to 152 ± 3°. Importantly, at a high flow rate of 95 L min−1, the filtration efficiency of the PAN/FPU nanofiber membrane for 0.3 µm oil particles increases from 92 ± 1% to 99.2 ± 0.1%. After cyclic loading, the filtration efficiency of 0.3 µm oil particles remains above 98%. Meanwhile, the filtration efficiency for 0.3 µm salt particles remains at 98.23 ± 0.1%. The PAN/FPU nanofiber membrane developed in this work is effective in applications and has good market prospects as a protective filtration material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Macromolecular Materials & Engineering is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)