Filtration Performance of Ultrathin Electrospun Cellulose Acetate Filters Doped with TiO2 and Activated Charcoal

Air filters are crucial components of a building ventilation system that contribute to improving indoor air quality, but they are typically associated with relatively high pressure drops. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the effect of additives on ultrathin electrospun filters, the pressure drop, and the particle removal efficiency of uniformly charged particles. The fibres were electrospun under optimised conditions that resulted in a fast-fabricating process due to the properties of the cellulose acetate solution. Different ultrathin electrospun fibre filters based on cellulose acetate (CA) were fabricated: a pure CA electrospun fibre filter, two filters based on CA fibres separately doped with activated charcoal (AC) and titanium dioxide (TiO2), respectively, and a composite filter where the two additives, AC and TiO2, were embedded between two CA fibres layers. The ultrathin filters exhibited a low pressure drop of between 63.0 and 63.8 Pa at a face velocity of 0.8 m s−1. The filtration performance of uniformly charged particles showed a removal efficiency above 70% for particle sizes between 0.3 and 0.5 μm for all filters, rising above 90% for larger particles between 1 and 10 μm, which translates to the average sizes of pollens and other allergenic contaminant particles. Due to the positive impact on the fibre morphology caused by the additives, the composite filter showed the highest filtration performance among the produced filters, reaching 82.3% removal efficiency towards smaller particles and a removal of up to 100% for particle sizes between 5 and 10 μm. Furthermore, cellulose acetate itself is not a source of microparticles and is fully biodegradable compared to other polymers commonly used for filters. These ultrathin electrospun filters are expected to be practical in applications for better building environments.

Assuring Quality of Scaffolds in Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering

In order to achieve the high quality required in medical products, reliable characterization methods and quality management systems are necessary. In the field of musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering (mTE), electrospinning is utilized to manufacture fibre scaffolds as implant material. Depending on the application, in this case the regeneration of tendon-bone junctions, properties like the degree of fibre orientation, homogeneity of fibre throughout the scaffold and reaction to external mechanical load are of particular importance. Currently, destructive methods, like scanning electron microscopy (SEM), are widely used to determine these properties. In addition to the destruction of the samples, these methods often only allow the investigation of very small sections. In this study, we present two new methods for the fast, non-destructive and contactless characterization of electrospun fibre scaffolds for mTE. These methods are based on Transillumination Imaging (TI) and Mueller Matrix Polarimetry (MMP), utilizing low-power laser sources or LED light sources, respectively, to determine the relative homogeneity (TI) and the degree of fibre orientation (MMP) in electrospun fibre scaffolds.

Reduced graphene oxide-coated electrospun fibre: effect of orientation, coverage and electrical stimulation on Schwann cells behavior

A conductive fibrous scaffold with typical aligned topography is beneficial for the adhesion, proliferation, NGF secretion and migration of Schwann cells under electrical stimulation.

Fabrication of polyaniline–graphene/polystyrene nanocomposites for flexible gas sensors

A flexible thin membrane made of a graphene–PANI nanocomposite decorated PS electrospun fibre as a highly sensitive carbon dioxide gas sensor.

A 2.5D approach to the mechanics of electrospun fibre mats

In this paper, a discrete random network modelling approach specific to electrospun networks is presented.

Probing the nano-scale architecture of diamond-patterned electrospun fibre mats by synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering

A diamond-patterned polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) fibre mat manufactured by electrospinning onto a structured target was studied by the combination of electron microscopy and synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering.

Correction: Probing the nano-scale architecture of diamond-patterned electrospun fibre mats by synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering

Correction for ‘Probing the nano-scale architecture of diamond-patterned electrospun fibre mats by synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering’ by Tan Sui et al., RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 8200–8204.