Electrospun nanofibrous membranes with antimicrobial activity for air filtration

Air pollution, including airborne pathogens and particulate matter (PM), has become a prominent issue affecting human health and safety. Conventional air filtration materials do not meet the requirements for efficient PM capture or do not instantly kill pathogens, leading to increased risk of direct/indirect contact transmission and infection due to the accumulation of pathogens during filtration. Electrospun nanofibrous membranes have emerged as a promising platform due to their rich porous structure, finer fiber diameters, good internal connectivity, and the ability to easily incorporate active chemicals for antimicrobial function. In this review, antimicrobial mechanisms of nanofibrous membranes for air filtration and PM capture mechanisms of nanofibers were firstly investigated, and various types of electrospun nanofibrous membranes with different antimicrobial agents for efficient air filtration were described in detail, including organic antimicrobial agents, inorganic antimicrobial agents and metal−organic frameworks. We hope this work could provide a better practical insight for designing novel electrospun nanofibrous membranes with antimicrobial efficacy for efficient air filtration.