Electrospun SF/PVA Nanofiber Filters for Highly Efficient PM $_{2.5}$ Capture

Particulate matter (PM) air pollution is associated with various adverse health effects. Heavy outdoor air pollution, especially smog, has significantly impacted the living quality of residential environments. Here, we report the fabrication of silk fibroin/polyvinyl alcohol (SF/PVA) nanofiber air filters for the filtration of PM pollution using the electrospinning technique. Silk fibroin is a type of protein fibers, which is widely available with excellent environmental sustainability, and PVA is commonly used for continuous nanofiber fabrication. Our results showed that the PM2.5 removal efficiency of the SF/PVA filter was 99.11 ± 0.24%, which was about 10% higher than that of the pure PVA filter under the same pressure drop of 50 Pa. In a 24-h filtration test, the filtration efficiency of this composite SF/PVA filter remained at a high value of 98.97% after 24 h. The results indicate the superior filtration performance of the SF/PVA nanofiber air filter, which holds a great promise in PM pollution prevention.