The use of electrospun Polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofiber cloth as a functional air filter was tested. As a model for analysis, the filters were exposed to a steady stream of air that was polluted by tobacco smoke. The filters were weighed before and after exposure to find the effectiveness of filtration. The filters were also imaged before and after exposure using x-ray diffraction to show the effectiveness of filtration. The analysis shows that the weight of the filter after filtration was increased by up to 12% by weight with predominantly carbon and oxygen compounds found to be present after filtration. The pores of the filter were also seen to be closed up whether by melting of the fibers or by contaminants. Further research is being done to understand the nature of the filters against tobacco smoke and to see the effectiveness of the sample infiltration of pollen, dust and UV radiation.

Date Published: 4 March 2019
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 10927, Photonic and Phononic Properties of Engineered Nanostructures IX, 109272C (4 March 2019); doi: 10.1117/12.2514891

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10927:
Photonic and Phononic Properties of Engineered Nanostructures IX
Ali Adibi; Shawn-Yu Lin; Axel Scherer, Editor(s)