Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile/β-Cyclodextrin Composite Membranes for Simultaneous Air Filtration and Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds

Simultaneous capture of different air pollutants including aerosols and volatile organic compound (VOC) is demonstrated using composite polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) nanofiber membrane. Aerosol filtration along with VOCs adsorption in one step remains a challenge due to differences in the physical and chemical properties of these air pollutants. PAN/beta-CD composite electrospun nanofiber membranes (ENMs) were produced with different concentrations of beta-CD. The surface modification of the composite ENM was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and water contact angles. PAN/beta-CD composite ENMs showed excellent air filtration performance (>95% filtration efficiency with a relatively low pressure drop of 112 Pa). Formaldehyde (HCHO) adsorption was determined using a simple jar method and xylene adsorption by UV spectroscopy. HCHO and xylene adsorption found better by 66% and 73%, respectively, compared to pristine PAN ENM despite a reduction in fiber surface area. The composite ENMs were found to be nontoxic to human lung cell line, suggesting that it is a good candidate for respiratory filter media for simultaneous air filtration and VOC adsorption.