A comparative study on advanced nanofiber filter design for effective airborne particulate removal

초록

In this study, we investigated the morphological optimization of electrospun nanofiber to improve particle filtration performance. The results showed that single-layer filters, typically made by electrospinning nanofibers onto a mechanical support substrate, displayed variations in nanofiber layer uniformity, which significantly affected their filtration performance. As the fibers are progressively deposited, they become more uniformly distributed on the substrate. This results in the pores becoming smaller, which enhances particle removal efficiency. However, this also leads to a more rapid increase in pressure drop, thereby reducing the overall performance of the filter. Furthermore, we examined two filter configurations: layer-stacking and uniform filters, which showed enhanced filtration performance compared to that of single-layer filters. The uniform filter showed superior overall performance with a quality factor of 0.051 Pa-1, outperforming the single-layer and layer-stacking filters by approximately 60% and 20%, respectively. This study offers an effective approach for designing and fabricating nanofibrous filters for high fine particle capture performance.