Electrospun polyacrylonitrile fibers incorporated with microporous carbon for improved airborne PM2.5 filtration

Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) pollutant particles have been identified as significant participants in air pollution, thus, special attention is paid to air filtration as a method of their efficient removal. A novel and simple method of producing nanofiber-based filters for efficient PM2.5 capture with multiple active components are proposed. Electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer was used both as a base filter material and as a precursor for producing microporous carbon nanofibers (MCNFs), which incorporated into the nanofibrous structure of the filter media. The fabricated PAN/MCNFs filters could reach removal efficiency of PM2.5 pollutant particles of up to 99% for with polluted air airflow velocity of 500 ml min−1, showing greater pollutant particle binding affinity with incorporated MCNFs. Experiments also show enhanced mechanical and thermal properties of studied air filters, with the addition of MCNFs – more than 4% and 6% increase in storage modulus and cyclization temperature in comparison to the base PAN filter, respectively. While using a facemask with inserted PAN/MCNFs filter, a reduced temperature variation in the facial region of the user was recorded – several degrees less when compared to a commonly used 3 M Aura 9320+ mask. This opens a possibility of their application in both industrial air filtering and as filters in facemask production.