Development of Antibacterial PTFE Hollow Fiber Membranes Containing Silver-carried Zirconium Phosphate as Air Filtration Units for the Removal of Ultrafine Particles

• Published in: Fibers and polymers Vol. 23; no. 2; pp. 423 - 435
• Main Authors: Xu, Huan, Chen, Xingyu, Chen, Murong, Luo, Jie, Jin, Wangyong, Zhu, Hailin, Guo, Yuhai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul The Korean Fiber Society 01.02.2022; Springer Nature B.V; 한국섬유공학회
• Subjects: Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Cold extrusion; Cold pressing; Developing countries; E coli; Filtration; Fouling; Hollow fiber membranes; LDCs; Membranes; Microfiltration; Outdoor air quality; Polymer Sciences; Polytetrafluoroethylene; Public health; Stretching; Tensile strength; Thermal stability; Ultrafines; Zirconium; 섬유공학; Silver-carried zirconium phosphate (AgZrP); Antibacterial; PTFE hollow fiber membrane; Air filtration
• ISSN: 1229-9197; 1875-0052
• DOI: 10.1007/s12221-022-3510-z

Air pollution is becoming more and more severe, especially in developing countries given the ever-increasing levels of particulate matter, which usually carries viruses and bacteria, has drawn considerable attention as a major threat to public health. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) based antibacterial microfiltration hollow fiber membranes are fabricated using the cold-pressing method including paste extrusion, stretching and heating by adding silver-carried zirconium phosphate (AgZrP) into the lubricant and then mixed with PTFE powders. The AgZrP concentration has influences on membrane performance, such as morphology, tensile strength, thermal stability, filtration, and antifouling properties. The PTFE hollow fiber membranes containing 1 wt% AgZrP have a particle filtration efficiency of 97.7324 % for particles (0.3 μm) and 99.9984 % for particles (2.5 μm). The membranes, with AgZrP particles (≥1 wt%), possess high antibacterial activity and are capable of killing all the Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) and more than 98 % of the Staphylococci aureus ( S. aureus ) within 24 h of contact. After washing, the fouled filter media retains stable filtration performance and antibacterial property, indicating that AgZrP has a broad-spectrum and long-acting antibacterial activity. The PTFE/AgZrP hollow fiber membranes are supposed to be a candidate for its application in air filtration.