Electrospun nanofiber as building blocks for high-performance air filter: A review

Particulate matter (PM) pollution in air has imposed huge threaten and burden to public health, the global economy, and ecosystems. Air filtration, as an effective and timely strategy to remove PMs, is thus increasingly particularly crucial. Electrospun nanofibers exhibit integrated properties of nanoscale fiber diameter, small pore size, high porosity, and tunable surface wettability, and thus have gained extensive concern and hold great promise as building blocks for high-performance air filter. This review primarily focuses on the latest progress in the design principles, controllable fabrication, and application performance of electrospun nanofiber filters for high-performance air filtration. The brief overview of definition and type of PMs, filtration mechanism, and performance evaluation are first concisely given. Then, the preparation strategy, structural regulation, and application performance of electrospun nanofibrous filters categorized by passive or proactive PM trapping mechanisms are comprehensively highlighted. More importantly, the detailed application area, current challenge, and future trend of electrospun nanofiber filters are introduced and discussed. This review is expected to provide guidance for researchers to investigate the recent progress and application of electrospun nanofibers for air filtration.