High-performance hazardous aerogel/liquid barriers from fluffy, antibacterial superhydrophobic nanofiber membranes

Fibrous membranes have been regarded as one of the most effective barriers against hazardous matters, e.g., pathogen, airborne particulates, and liquids. However, developing multi-functional membranes with high air filtration performances, liquid barrier properties, and antibacterial activities remains challenging. Herein, a robust nanofibrous membrane with fluffy structure has been developed through a facile one-step electrospinning process. Under the synergistic effect of polyetherimide (PEI) nanofibers, low surface energy fluorinated alkyl silane (FAS), and fluorinated ZIF67 nanoparticles, the resultant PEI/FAS/F-ZIF67 composite nanofiber membrane shows superhydrophobicity with WCA of 155 degrees and antibacterial activity with efficiency of over 99 %. The addition of FAS renders the membrane a fluffy fibrous structure, which further enhances the filtration performances with a filtration efficiency of 99.99 % and a low pressure drop of 125 Pa. Owing to the superhydrophobicity, the membrane also shows excellent liquid repellent properties with hydrostatic pressures of 60.6 kPa and 14.0 kPa to water and blood, respectively. Furthermore, benefiting from the excellent thermal stability of PEI, the composite membrane can well maintain its filtration performances at high temperature of 200 celcius. Overall, the proposed PEI/FAS/F-ZIF67 nanofiber membrane demonstrates high potential to be widely applied for air purification and medical protection applications.