Polycaprolactone nanofiber membrane modified with halloysite and ZnO for anti-bacterial and air filtration

Use of breath protective equipment (e.g., air-filtering masks) is essential to protect personal health from the serious threat of air contamination and bacterial infection. As core filter layer materials of face masks, the nanofiber can be imparted with multifunctionality by nanoparticles modification, such as particulate matter (PM) filtration, bacterial inhibition and so on. Herein, the electrospun filter membranes were developed through incorporating the halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and zinc oxide nanoparticles with the polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers. The composite HNTs-ZnO/PCL nanofibers exhibit high antibacterial efficiency of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus, 97.9%) and Escherichia coli (E. coli, 95.9%) bacterial strains. The PM particles filtration performance of HNTs-ZnO/PCL membrane can be obviously improved with an enhanced mechanical strength. Thus, the HNTs-ZnO/PCL nanofiber membranes might be a competitive filtering material for antibacterial protective mask filter layer, and the successful fabrication of the HNTs-ZnO/PCL face masks furtherly indicates the great potential in practical application.

Automated summary

The use of breath protective equipment is crucial for personal health protection against air contamination and bacterial infection. Through modification with nanoparticles, nanofibers used as core filter layer materials in face masks can exhibit multifunctionality, including particulate matter filtration and bacterial inhibition. The HNTs-ZnO/PCL nanofiber membranes developed in this study show high antibacterial efficiency and improved particle filtration performance, making them a promising material for antibacterial protective mask filter layers.