| Introduction: Electrospun nanomembranes have been used for effective air
filtration due to their potential for active surface modification. This study aims
to synthesize polyurethane (PU) nanofiber membrane incorporated with different
amounts of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) to capture volatile organic compounds
(VOCs) along with aerosol filtration from the air.
Material and Methods: First, PU was synthesized by MDI method. A 10 wt%
PU solution in DMF/MEK (1:1 wt) was prepared. Various amounts of β-CD
powder (0, 1, 2, 3, and 5 wt% of PU) were dispersed in the prepared PU
solution. Electrospining process was carried out under determined parameters
(20 kV applied voltage, tip-to-collector distance of 10 cm, solution feed, and rate
of 1 ml/h). The chemical structure and morphology of the produced samples
were assessed by FTIR and SEM, respectively. Finally, air filtration and toluene
adsorption of different electrospun membranes were measured.
Results: The highest filtration performance was observed for PU with 1 wt% β-
CD nanofiber. Due to increased efficiency (83.13%) and low-pressure drop (∆P
= 19 pa), this sample had a considerable quality parameter. The results
demonstrated that the membrane loaded with β-CD was able to adsorb
hazardous and carcinogenic VOCs. It was confirmed that adding β-CD into PU
improves the adsorption capacity due to forming a π complex and having a
different tendency against capturing a variety of VOCs.
Conclusion: The study results revealed that the PU nanofiber incorporated with
β-CD, along with the ease of regeneration, can make them attractive for air
filtration and VOCs adsorption |