Fabrication of Functional Polyurethane/Rare Earth Nanocomposite Membranes by Electrospinning and Its VOCs Absorption Capacity from Air

Abstract

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are a source of air pollution and are harmful to both human health and the environment. In this study, we fabricated polyurethane/rare earth (PU/RE) composite nanofibrous membranes via electrospinning with the aim of removing VOCs from air. The morphological structure of PU/RE nanofibrous mats was investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) experimental analyses. A certain amount of RE (up to 50 wt. % compared to PU pellets) nanoparticles (NPs) could be loaded on/into PU fibers. The tensile strength of PU/RE nanofibrous membranes decreased slightly with the increasing RE powder content. The PU nanofiber containing 50 wt. % RE powder had the smallest fiber diameter of 356 nm; it also showed the highest VOC absorption capacity compared with other composite membranes, having an absorption capacity about three times greater than pure PU nanofibers. In addition, all of the PU/RE nanofibrous membranes readily absorbed styrene the most, followed by xylene, toluene, benzene and chloroform. Therefore, the PU/RE nanofibrous membrane can play an important role in removing VOCs from the air, and its development prospects are impressive because they are emerging materials.

VOCs Air Pollutant Cleaning with Polyacrylonitrile/Fly Ash Nanocomposite Electrospun Nanofibrous Membranes

“…[1,2]. Among them, VOC is an important pollutant of indoor and outdoor, so it attracts more and more attention from researchers [3,4].…”

“…Which has about 200 different kinds of chemical structures, and many of them are very toxic, they will cause great harm to animals and plants, human, and environment. The most common and most toxic VOCs are Benzene, formaldehyde, toluene, xylene, ethylene, styrene, and acetaldehyde [1,3,5]. Therefore, it is very important to effectively control and reduce the content of VOCs in the air.…”

“…The electrospun nanofibrous membranes have high porosity and large specific surface area, Scholten et al [8], Liu et al [9], and Ge et al [3,5] have been successfully spun the nanofiber via electrospinning to filter the air. In addition, the electrospinning have been widely concerned in the field of air filtration, protective clothing, sensors, wound wrap, tissue engineering scaffold, membrane separation materials, and etc.…”

Using Canola Oil Biodiesel as an Alternative Fuel in Diesel Engines: A Review

“…Excessive exploitation and utilization of fossil oil can damage the environment [1][2][3]. Therefore, although people in modern society live in comfortable environments, they must endure the inconveniences caused by air pollution, including global warming, the greenhouse effect, desertification, acid rain, fog, haze, and volatile organic compounds [4][5][6]. In China, fog and haze are particularly important topics.…”

Fabrication of Multifunctional Hybrid Composites Using Fly Ash to Control Environmental Pollutants: A Review

“…In recent decades, rapid development of industry has led to a dramatic increase in anthropogenic VOCs. There are more than about 300 chemical structures of VOCs, which can be classified as alkanes, aromatics, esters, and aldehydes, among others [94,95]. Many VOCs are harmful to humans in even small amounts, such as benzenes and formaldehyde, which are suspected carcinogens [96].…”