Preparation of Electrospun PVDF Nanofiber Composite Filter Medium and Its Application in Air Filtration

keywords:electrospinning  filtration efficiency  nanofiber  dust holding capacity  air filtration

Abstract:Nanofibrous media with both high particle interception efficiency and robust air permeability has broad technological applications in areas including individual protection, industrial security, and environmental governance. However, producing such filtration media has proven to be extremely challenging. Here we reported an approach to preparing and fabricating a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofiber composite filter medium composed of 2D PVDF nanofiber nets and a stable substrate via one-step electrospinning for effective air filtration. PVDF nanofibers are obtained by adjusting the electrospinning process. With the combined properties of ultrasmall diameter, high porosity, and a bonded scaffold, the resulting PVDF nanofiber composite filter medium exhibits a robust high filtration efficiency of 99.901% (equivalent to an F9 rating) for 0.4 m particles and a long service life (a large dust holding capacity of 36 g/m2) for ultrafine airborne particles based on the sieving principle and surface filtration behavior. The successful synthesis of PVDF nanofibers medium would not only make it a promising candidate for air filtration, but also provide new insights into the design and development of composite nanofiber structures for various applications.