Electrospun coarse modified polystyrene/carbon aerogel nanofibrous composite membrane for effective PM2.5 air filtration

• Published in: Separation and purification technology 2025-02, Vol.354, p.128793, Article 128793
• Main Authors: Huo, Xuying, Chen, Wei, Gu, Hongbo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air filtration; Carbon aerogel; Electrostatic adsorption; Nanofibrous composite membrane; Polystyrene
• ISSN: 1383-5866
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2024.128793

[Display omitted] •Modified polystyrene/carbon aerogel nanofibrous composite membrane was fabricated.•Protrusions of electrospun membrane were created by introducing carbon aerogel.•Coarse nanofibrous composite membrane possesses hydrophobicity and breathability.•This nanofibrous composite membrane exhibits excellent PM2.5 filtration capability. Particulate matter (PM) pollution garners a worldwide concern and causes a tremendous health risk to individuals in public regions. To cope with the polluted circumstances and emerging diseases, nanofibrous membranes have been regarded as an ideal medium to balance the inherent trade-off between PM capture ability and air permeability. Even though polystyrene holds enormous potential in charge storage for mechanical filtration of PM by the electrostatic effect, its interception performance is restricted due to the smooth surface and the inferior polarity of molecules. In this work, an electrospun nanofibrous composite membrane with protrusions consisting of epoxide-modified polystyrene and carbon aerogel has been fabricated for effective PM2.5 filtration, which possesses a low airflow resistance and high removal capability. The hydrophobic and breathable nanofibrous layer could avert the accumulation of moisture to damage the nanofibers. This nanofibrous composite membrane has demonstrated a positive surface potential of ∼1.9 kV in favor of attracting PM2.5. Benefiting from the coupling effect of protrusion structure, polar functional groups, and Coulomb force, the obtained composite membrane achieves a low-pressure drop of 28 Pa and a quality factor of 0.115 Pa−1 through physical sieving and electrostatic adsorption. The hierarchical nanofiber medium exhibits considerable promise for PM filtration application.