Silica nanofiber filter: 98.6% capture of 2

A research team of professors Eun Jonghyun and Seol Inhwan at Kumoh National Institute of Technology (South Korea), Department of Chemical Materials Engineering, has established process conditions for making structurally stable electrospun silica nanofibers, according to dailydgnews.com. dailydgnews.com The team found a balance between the chemical reaction rate and polymer chain entanglement in the TEOS/PVP system. The paper was published online on October 24 in the Journal of Membrane Science (DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2026.126331). dailydgnews.com

Composition and heat treatment

Silica nanofibers withstand heat and chemicals. They are needed where conventional polymer filters are hard to use: high-temperature steelmaking, power generation and incineration facilities, and chemical processes. The main difficulty was matching the ratio of the silica precursor (TEOS) to the polymer (PVP). dailydgnews.com

The researchers systematically varied the TEOS concentration (8–24 wt%), the PVP content and the solution aging time, and analysed changes in fibre morphology and chemical structure. Uniform, defect-free nanofibers formed at 18 wt% TEOS and 2.4 g PVP. dailydgnews.com After heat treatment at 300 °C the fibres kept their shape, and tensile strength increased from about 0.14 MPa to 0.30 MPa, a rise of 114.3%. dailydgnews.com In filtration tests the material removed 98.6% of particles 2–4 µm in size. dailydgnews.com

Moulding and intended uses

A mat of the optimal composition was placed between upper and lower moulds made with a 3D printer and pressed. It took a three-dimensional shape without tearing or holes. dailydgnews.com Silica-based nanofibers had been difficult to shape, and the team says the result shows they can be made into filters of various forms. dailydgnews.com

The authors expect the material to be used in dust-collection filters for hot exhaust gas and for corrosive or erosive conditions. They also point to cleanroom and process-exhaust filters in semiconductor, display and secondary-battery manufacturing. Moulding allows three-dimensional filter modules, such as cylindrical cartridges, to be shaped to the equipment. dailydgnews.com

The paper is titled "Balancing reaction kinetics and chain entanglement for structurally stable electrospun silica nanofibers in TEOS/PVP systems". The first author is master's student Lee Seonbin; professors Seol and Eun are co-corresponding authors. Eun Jonghyun said the work provides design guidelines for inorganic nanofibers for filters that require thermal stability. dailydgnews.com

Kumoh National Institute of Technology: silica nanofiber filter captured 98.6% of 2–4 µm particles

Composition and heat treatment

Moulding and intended uses

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