Design of inherently polarized nanofiber-based membranes for superior filtration performance.

Remarkable quality factor of 0.0276 Pa⁻¹ was enabled by employing inherently polarized nanofiber media having wide diameter and interfibrous pore distribution and the layered structure. [Display omitted] • Optimum PVdF-HFP nanofiber as a filter media was examined. • CFD simulation exhibited the pressure on the membrane change related to the pore. • Layered PVdF-HFP/PAN nanofiber filter showed the best filtration performances. • Quality factor of 0.0276 Pa⁻¹ was superior to those of previous works. As airborne particulate matter (PM) such as pathogens and ultrafine dust threaten the human health, air quality control technologies are becoming increasingly important. Herein, poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP) nanofibers with various fiber diameters and pore size distributions were prepared using various compositions of volatile (acetone) and less volatile N,N -dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent mixtures to design the optimum filtration media. Morphologies and molecular configurations were examined thoroughly with respect to the filtration performance. Among the various solvent compositions, the specimen prepared with the lowest DMF content (denoted as ePVdF-HFP55) showed the best filtration performance, with a filtration efficiency of 99.95% and a pressure drop of 29.0 mmH 2 O. The quality factor (QF) of ePVdF-HFP55 (0.0266 Pa⁻¹) is superior to that achieved in electrospun nanofibrous media in previous works. In addition, the QF was further improved to 0.0276 Pa⁻¹, with a remarkably reduced resistance of 14.45 mmH 2 O achieved by employing the layered nanofiber media with a PVdF-HFP top layer. Our work demonstrates that optimization of the inherently polarized nanofiber synthesis is a fruitful pathway to enhancing the filtration performance of air filter media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]