Carbonisation of a polymer made from sulfur and canola oil.

A polymer made from equal masses of sulfur and canola oil was carbonised at 600 °C for 30 minutes. The resulting material exhibited improved uptake of mercury from water compared to the polymer. The carbonisation could also be done after using the polymer to clean up oil spills, which suprisingly improved mercury uptake to levels rivaling commercial carbons.

Flexible and reusable carbon nano-fibre membranes for airborne contaminants capture.

Airborne aerosol pollutants generated from combustion vehicles exhausts, industrial facilities and microorganisms represent serious health challenges. Although membrane separation has emerged as a technique of choice for airborne contaminants removal, allowing for both size exclusion and surface adsorption. Here, electrospun carbon nanofibre mats were formed from poly(acrylonitrile) by systematic stabilization and carbonization processes to generate flexible and self-standing membranes for air filtration.

Mixed Matrix Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)-Copper Nanofibrous Anti-Microbial Air-Microfilters.

Membranes decorated with biocide materials have shown great potential for air sanitization but can suffer from biocide agent leaching by dissolution in water. In order to tackle the diffusion of biocide metal ions from the fiber matrix, composite nanofiber membranes of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) cross-linked with copper (II) acetate have been successfully engineered via sol-gel electrospinning, providing a stable mean for air bactericidal microfiltration. The novelty lies in the bonding strength and homogeneous distribution of the fiber surface biocide, where biocide metals are incorporated as a sol within a polymer matrix.

One-pot synthesis of catalytic molybdenum based nanocomposite nano-fiber membranes for aerosol air remediation.

The development of fibrous air filters exhibiting high air filtration efficiency, low energy consumption, and self-cleaning properties is a critical challenge to generate the next generation of resilient air filtration systems. Nano-fibrous mats typically exhibit higher particle capture efficiency but may also lead to higher airflow resistance compared to macro-fibrous materials due to their tighter structure. In this paper, novel catalytic membranes mats were fabricated through a one-pot synthesis from ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (ATTM) doped poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) nanofibers for sub-micron diameter aerosol particle removal.

Pore engineering towards highly efficient electrospun nanofibrous membranes for aerosol particle removal.

Electrospun nanofibrous membranes were engineered for aerosol particle removal by controlling the fiber density and alignment across electrospun mats. Electrospun nanofiber membranes were deposited on both, rotatory drum and stationary collectors, to investigate the effect of fiber alignment on filtration performance. Poly(acrylonitrile)/dimethyl formamide (PAN/DMF) solutions were used to produce membranes for applications in air purification.