Biodegradable and high-performance multiscale structured nanofiber membrane as mask filter media via poly(lactic acid) electrospinning.
J Colloid Interface Sci
; 606(Pt 2): 961-970, 2022 Jan 15.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1391399
ABSTRACT
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.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Nanofibers
Language:
English
Journal:
J Colloid Interface Sci
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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