title: Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile-Ionic Liquid Nanofibers for Superior PM2.5 Capture Capacity.
abstract: Ambient fine particulate matter (PM) affects both human health and climate. To reduce the PM2.5 (mass of particles below 2.5 μm in diameter) concentration of an individual's living environment, ionic liquid-modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers with superior PM2.5 capture capacity were prepared by electrospinning. Ionic liquid diethylammonium dihydrogen phosphate (DEAP) with high viscosity and hydrophilicity was involved during the electrospinning process. Observations by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and water contact angle measurement suggested that the modification of DEAP on PAN effectively altered the morphology (roughness) and surface properties (hydrophilicity) of the PAN nanofibers. The PM2.5 capture measurement was performed in a closed and static system, which mimicked the static hazy weather without wind flow. As a result, DEAP-modified PAN nanofibers exhibited significantly enhanced PM2.5 capture capacity compared to that of the bare PAN nanofibers. This can be attributed to the improved surface roughness (i.e., improved adsorption sites), hydrophilicity, and dipole moment of PAN upon DEAP modification.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory for Power Source and Green Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Environment, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing, 100081, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.affiliation: Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials (ISEM), Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM), University of Wollongong , North Wollongong, NSW2500, Australia.
authors.forename: Kyubin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Cui Ying
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Toe
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Chuan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Rose
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amal
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory for Power Source and Green Catalysis, School of Chemical Engineering and Environment, Beijing Institute of Technology , Beijing, 100081, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Ke-Ning
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials (ISEM), Australian Institute for Innovative Materials (AIIM), University of Wollongong , North Wollongong, NSW2500, Australia.
authors.forename: Jung Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yun Hau
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Ng
keywords: PM2.5; electrospinning; ionic liquid; nanofiber; polyacrylonitrile