Electret melt-blown nonwovens with charge stability for high-performance PM0.3 purification under extreme environmental conditions

Electret technology is extensively utilized in fiber-based air filtration materials due to its ability to significantly enhance filtration efficiency (FE) without increasing the pressure drop. This improvement is attributed to the electrostatic attraction generated by the charges within the fibers....

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Main Authors: Liu Chao, Shi Jiayan, Wang Zexing, Luo Fengxiang, Zhang Xing
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2025-08-01
Series:e-Polymers
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/epoly-2025-0037
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author Liu Chao
Shi Jiayan
Wang Zexing
Luo Fengxiang
Zhang Xing
author_facet Liu Chao
Shi Jiayan
Wang Zexing
Luo Fengxiang
Zhang Xing
author_sort Liu Chao
collection DOAJ
description Electret technology is extensively utilized in fiber-based air filtration materials due to its ability to significantly enhance filtration efficiency (FE) without increasing the pressure drop. This improvement is attributed to the electrostatic attraction generated by the charges within the fibers. The stability of these electrostatic charges is critical for maintaining the long-term protective performance of air filtration materials. As a result, ongoing research into electrostatic technology, influencing factors, and charge storage mechanisms remains a highly active area of study. In this study, corona-charged melt-blown nonwoven (CMN) and hydro-charged melt-blown nonwoven (HMN) were fabricated using pure polypropylene (PP) and magnesium stearate-modified PP as raw materials. The filtration performance stability of CMN and HMN was systematically evaluated under three extreme environmental challenges: continuous salt aerosol loading, high-temperature heating, and organic solvent treatment. The results reveal that HMN consistently exhibits superior FE and greater stability under all tested conditions. For instance, after heating at 130°C for 30 min, the FE of HMN decreased slightly from 99.56% to 94.19%, whereas that of CMN dropped significantly from 91.84% to 82.41%. Similarly, after complete immersion in isopropanol for 24 h, the FE of CMN and HMN declined to 37.26% and 55.91%, respectively. These findings indicate that hydro charging technology not only generates a higher charge density but also enhances charge retention, thereby improving charge stability and enabling long-term filtration performance.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1618-7229
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publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher De Gruyter
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series e-Polymers
spelling doaj-art-ac86f9937f8145ab9da7c79d3e2bc94f2025-08-25T06:10:30ZengDe Gruytere-Polymers1618-72292025-08-01251414910.1515/epoly-2025-0037Electret melt-blown nonwovens with charge stability for high-performance PM0.3 purification under extreme environmental conditionsLiu Chao0Shi Jiayan1Wang Zexing2Luo Fengxiang3Zhang Xing4Textile and Fashion Collage, Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan, Hunan, 411104, ChinaTextile and Fashion Collage, Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan, Hunan, 411104, ChinaTextile and Fashion Collage, Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan, Hunan, 411104, ChinaTextile and Fashion Collage, Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan, Hunan, 411104, ChinaTextile and Fashion Collage, Hunan Institute of Engineering, Xiangtan, Hunan, 411104, ChinaElectret technology is extensively utilized in fiber-based air filtration materials due to its ability to significantly enhance filtration efficiency (FE) without increasing the pressure drop. This improvement is attributed to the electrostatic attraction generated by the charges within the fibers. The stability of these electrostatic charges is critical for maintaining the long-term protective performance of air filtration materials. As a result, ongoing research into electrostatic technology, influencing factors, and charge storage mechanisms remains a highly active area of study. In this study, corona-charged melt-blown nonwoven (CMN) and hydro-charged melt-blown nonwoven (HMN) were fabricated using pure polypropylene (PP) and magnesium stearate-modified PP as raw materials. The filtration performance stability of CMN and HMN was systematically evaluated under three extreme environmental challenges: continuous salt aerosol loading, high-temperature heating, and organic solvent treatment. The results reveal that HMN consistently exhibits superior FE and greater stability under all tested conditions. For instance, after heating at 130°C for 30 min, the FE of HMN decreased slightly from 99.56% to 94.19%, whereas that of CMN dropped significantly from 91.84% to 82.41%. Similarly, after complete immersion in isopropanol for 24 h, the FE of CMN and HMN declined to 37.26% and 55.91%, respectively. These findings indicate that hydro charging technology not only generates a higher charge density but also enhances charge retention, thereby improving charge stability and enabling long-term filtration performance.https://doi.org/10.1515/epoly-2025-0037melt-blowncorona charginghydro chargingfiltration efficiencycharge decay
spellingShingle Liu Chao
Shi Jiayan
Wang Zexing
Luo Fengxiang
Zhang Xing
Electret melt-blown nonwovens with charge stability for high-performance PM0.3 purification under extreme environmental conditions
e-Polymers
melt-blown
corona charging
hydro charging
filtration efficiency
charge decay
title Electret melt-blown nonwovens with charge stability for high-performance PM0.3 purification under extreme environmental conditions
title_full Electret melt-blown nonwovens with charge stability for high-performance PM0.3 purification under extreme environmental conditions
title_fullStr Electret melt-blown nonwovens with charge stability for high-performance PM0.3 purification under extreme environmental conditions
title_full_unstemmed Electret melt-blown nonwovens with charge stability for high-performance PM0.3 purification under extreme environmental conditions
title_short Electret melt-blown nonwovens with charge stability for high-performance PM0.3 purification under extreme environmental conditions
title_sort electret melt blown nonwovens with charge stability for high performance pm0 3 purification under extreme environmental conditions
topic melt-blown
corona charging
hydro charging
filtration efficiency
charge decay
url https://doi.org/10.1515/epoly-2025-0037
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AT wangzexing electretmeltblownnonwovenswithchargestabilityforhighperformancepm03purificationunderextremeenvironmentalconditions
AT luofengxiang electretmeltblownnonwovenswithchargestabilityforhighperformancepm03purificationunderextremeenvironmentalconditions
AT zhangxing electretmeltblownnonwovenswithchargestabilityforhighperformancepm03purificationunderextremeenvironmentalconditions