title: Novel nanofibrous scaffolds for water filtration with bacteria and virus removal capability.
abstract: We demonstrate a new class of composite fibrous membranes, consisting of an ultra-fine cellulose nanofibrous network infused into an electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibrous scaffold on a melt-blown polyethylene terephthalate (PET) non-woven substrate for water purification. Depending on the infusion process and the ultra-fine cellulose nanofibers (UFCNs) used [e.g. modified ultra-fine cellulose nanofibers (m-UFCNs) or microcrystalline cellulose nanofibers (MCCNs)], different nanostructured scaffolds were formed as seen by electron microscopy. Membranes with UFCNs consist of an interwoven two-dimensional ultra-fine nanofibrous network that is deeply entangled with the electrospun scaffold and organized in a quasi-three-dimensional fashion, while those with MCCNs tend to locally wrap around the electrospun scaffolding nanofibers without forming a major network. Filtration tests illustrated that both membranes, while maintaining high permeation flux, exhibited excellent retention capabilities for simultaneous sieving for bacteria and adsorption for viruses.
authors.affiliation: Ward Melville High School, East Setauket, NY 11733, USA. pointe4anna@gmail.com
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Ran
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hongyang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Benjamin S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Hsiao
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D002482:Cellulose; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D057139:Nanofibers / Q000737:chemistry*; D010316:Particle Size; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002482:Cellulose; C109691:microcrystalline cellulose