Bioinspired hierarchical nanofibers enable molecular discrimination for environment-adaptive functionality...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• The purification of multiphase pollutants is often limited by the trade-off between permeation flux and removal efficiency in conventional membranes.
• Developing advanced materials that overcome this limitation is crucial for effective environmental remediation and air quality control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate novel hierarchical interface-armored poly(lactic acid) (HIA-PLA) nanofibrous membranes.
• To achieve simultaneous high-efficiency and high-flux separation for multiphase pollutants.
• To integrate self-regulating sensing capabilities for real-time monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of HIA-PLA nanofibrous membranes via in-situ polymerization of bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (BMOF) on polydopamine-modified PLA nanofibers.
• Characterization of membrane structure, nanocrystal loading, and Lewis basic sites.
• Evaluation of filtration performance, CO2 uptake, separation selectivity, electrical output, and regenerability.
• Assessment of sensing capabilities for respiratory monitoring.

Main Results:

• Achieved ultrahigh BMOF nanocrystal loading (73.6%) with abundant Lewis basic sites and accessible open metal centers.
• Demonstrated outstanding PM0.3 filtration efficiency (98.7% at 90% RH) and high CO2 uptake (3.1 mmol·g-1).
• Exhibited exceptional CO2/N2 (278) and CO2/CH4 (54) separation selectivity with excellent regenerability (nearly 100% performance retention after 10 cycles).
• Showcased promising self-regulating sensing capabilities for real-time respiratory monitoring.

Conclusions:

• The developed HIA-PLA membranes overcome the flux-efficiency trade-off through synergistic size exclusion, electrostatic adsorption, and hierarchical pore confinement.
• These membranes offer a versatile platform for efficient air purification and integrated wearable health monitoring, particularly for extreme environments.
• The biomimetic protective architecture and cross-scale micro-nano structures are key to the enhanced performance and functionality.