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Updated: Aug 30, 2025
Three-Dimensionally Printed Microfluidic Cross-flow System for Ultrafiltration/Nanofiltration Membrane Performance Testing
Published on: February 13, 2016
Polyvinylidene fluoride multi-scale nanofibrous membrane modified using N-halamine with high filtration efficiency
Weili Shao1, Junli Li1, Yuting Zhang1
1Textile and Garment Industry of Research Institute, Zhongyuan University of Technology, Zhengzhou 450007, People's Republic of China; International Joint Laboratory of New Textile Materials and Textiles of Henan Province, Zhengzhou 450007, People's Republic of China.
Hypothesis:
Particulate matter (PM) pollution and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have increased demand for protective masks. However, typical protective masks only intercept particles and produce peculiar odors if worn for extended periods owing to bacterial growth. Therefore, new protective materials with good filtration and antibacterial capabilities are required.
Experiments:
In this study, we prepared multi-scale polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) nanofibrous membranes for efficient filtration and durable antibacterial properties via N-halamine modification.
Findings:
The N-halamine-modified nanofibrous membrane (PVDF-PAA-TMP-Cl) had sufficient active chlorine content (800 ppm), and the tensile stress and strain were improved compared with the original membrane, from 6.282 to 9.435 MPa and from 51.3 % to 56.4 %, respectively. To further improve the interception efficiency, ultrafine nanofibers (20-35 nm) were spun on PVDF-PAA-TMP-Cl nanofibrous membranes, and multi-scale PVDF-PAA-TMP-Cl nanofibrous membranes were prepared. These membranes exhibited good PM0.3 interception (99.93 %), low air resistance (79 Pa), promising long-term PM2.5 purification ability, and high bactericidal efficiency (>98 %). After ten chlorination cycles, the antibacterial efficiency against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus exceeded 90 %; hence, the material demonstrated highly efficient filtration and repeatable antibacterial properties. The results of this study have implications for the development of air and water filtration systems and multi-functional protective materials.
