Electrospun microcrystalline cellulose/chitosan porous composite nanofibrous membranes modified by non-thermal plasma for gaseous formaldehyde adsorption

Xiong J 1 , Luo R 1 , Jia Z 1 , Ge S 2 , Lam SS 3 , Xie L 1 Show all authors , Chai X 1 , Zhang L 1 , Du G 1 , Wang S 4 , Xu K 5

Affiliations 

  • 1 International Joint Research Center for Biomass Materials, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, PR China
  • 2 International Joint Research Center for Biomass Materials, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, PR China; Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
  • 3 Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Institute of Tropical Aquaculture and Fisheries (AKUATROP), University of Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia; Center for Global Health Research (CGHR), Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, India. Electronic address: [email protected]
  • 4 Center for Renewable Carbon, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA. Electronic address: [email protected]
  • 5 International Joint Research Center for Biomass Materials, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming 650224, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected]
Int J Biol Macromol, 2024 Jan;256(Pt 2):128399.
PMID: 38007014 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128399

Abstract

To develop a green and facile adsorbent for removing indoor polluted formaldehyde (HCHO) gas, the biomass porous nanofibrous membranes (BPNMs) derived from microcrystalline cellulose/chitosan were fabricated by electrospinning. The enhanced chemical adsorption sites with diverse oxygen (O) and nitrogen (N)-containing functional groups were introduced on the surface of BPNMs by non-thermal plasma modification under carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2) atmospheres. The average nanofiber diameters of nanofibrous membranes and their nanomechanical elastic modulus and hardness values decreased from 341 nm to 175-317 nm and from 2.00 GPa and 0.25 GPa to 1.70 GPa and 0.21 GPa, respectively, after plasma activation. The plasma-activated nanofibers showed superior hydrophilicity (WCA = 0°) and higher crystallinity than that of the control. The optimal HCHO adsorption capacity (134.16 mg g-1) of BPNMs was achieved under a N2 atmosphere at a plasma power of 30 W and for 3 min, which was 62.42 % higher compared with the control. Pyrrolic N, pyridinic N, CO and O-C=O were the most significant O and N-containing functional groups for the improved chemical adsorption of the BPNMs. The adsorption mechanism involved a synergistic combination of physical and chemical adsorption. This study provides a novel strategy that combines clean plasma activation with electrospinning to efficiently remove gaseous HCHO.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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