Polypropylene/Polyvinyl Alcohol/Metal-Organic Framework-Based Melt-Blown Electrospun Composite Membranes for Highly Efficient Filtration of PM2.5
Ting‐Ting Li, Yujia Fan, Xixi Cen, Yi Wang, Bing‐Chiuan Shiu, Hai‐Tao Ren, Hao‐Kai Peng, Qian Jiang, Ching‐Wen Lou, Jia‐Horng Lin
Abstract
Particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) has become a public hazard to people’s lives and health. Traditional melt-blown membranes cannot filter dangerous particles due to their limited diameter, and ultra-fine electrospinning fibers are vulnerable to external forces. Therefore, creating highly efficient air filters by using an innovative technique and structure has become necessary. In this study, a combination of polypropylene (PP) melt-blown and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/zeolite imidazole frameworks-8 (ZIF-8) electrospinning technique is employed to construct a PP/PVA/ZIF-8 membrane with a hierarchical fibrous structure. The synergistic effect of hierarchical fibrous structure and ZIF-8 effectively captures PM2.5. The PP/PVA composite membrane loaded with 2.5% loading ZIF-8 has an average filtration efficacy reaching as high as 96.5% for PM2.5 and quality factor (Qf) of 0.099 Pa−1. The resultant membrane resists 33.34 N tensile strength and has a low pressure drop, excellent filtration efficiency, and mechanical strength. This work presents a facile preparation method that is suitable for mass production and the application of membranes to be used as air filters for highly efficient filtration of PM2.5.