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Silk nanofibers as high efficient and lightweight air filter

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Abstract

Silk is a widely available, edible, biocompatible, and environmentally sustainable natural material. Particulate matter (PM) pollution has drawn considerable attention because it is a serious threat to public health. Herein, we report a human-friendly silk nanofiber air filter, which exhibits superior filtration efficiency for both PM2.5 and submicron particles with obviously low pressure drop and low basis weight compared to typical commercial microfiber air filters. Additionally, other functions such as antibacterial activity could be easily integrated into the silk nanofiber air filters, enabling the fabrication of multifunctional air filters. All the above characteristics, combined with the natural abundance and biocompatibility of silk, suggest a great potential for the use of silk nanofibers as air filters, especially as comfortable and personal air purifiers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry & Center for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Chunya Wang, Muqiang Jian & Yingying Zhang

  2. Department of Engineering Mechanics &Center for Nano and Micro Mechanics, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Shuyi Wu, Luping Xu, Xudong Yang & Quanshui Zheng

  3. Department of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China

    Jiarong Xie & Xudong Yang

Authors
  1. Chunya Wang
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  2. Shuyi Wu
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  3. Muqiang Jian
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  4. Jiarong Xie
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  5. Luping Xu
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  6. Xudong Yang
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  7. Quanshui Zheng
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  8. Yingying Zhang
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Correspondence to Yingying Zhang.

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Wang, C., Wu, S., Jian, M. et al. Silk nanofibers as high efficient and lightweight air filter. Nano Res. 9, 2590–2597 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-016-1145-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-016-1145-3

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