Bio-Inspired Design of Robust, Transparent Nanofibrous Air Filters for High-Efficiency Particulate Matter Capture

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Biomimetics

Background:

• Conventional transparent air filters (TAFs) face a trade-off between light transmittance, mechanical strength, and filtration performance.
• Minimizing fiber diameter and filter thickness enhances transparency but reduces mechanical integrity and filtration efficiency.
• Existing TAFs struggle to balance high efficiency with low pressure drop.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and fabricate a bio-inspired transparent air filter (B-TAF) with enhanced mechanical and filtration properties.
• To overcome the inherent trade-offs in conventional transparent air filter designs.
• To develop a scalable manufacturing approach for high-performance multifunctional TAFs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized dual-nozzle electrospinning and spatially controlled electric-field deposition.
• Engineered a multi-dimensional architecture inspired by dragonfly wing structures.
• Achieved cross-scale fiber assembly and spatially resolved deposition for precise control.

Main Results:

• The B-TAF exhibits high visible light transmittance (>70.0%) and outstanding filtration efficiency (>99.5% for PM_0.3 and PM_1.0).
• Achieved exceptionally low pressure drop (<80.0 Pa), surpassing conventional trade-offs.
• Demonstrated superior mechanical robustness with a tensile strength of 5.3 MPa and elongation at break of 232%.

Conclusions:

• The bio-inspired design effectively overcomes the limitations of conventional transparent air filters.
• The B-TAF offers a promising solution for high-performance air purification and personal protection applications.
• The scalable manufacturing method paves the way for practical implementation of advanced transparent air filters.