AAAR 36th Annual Conference October 16 - October 20, 2017 Raleigh Convention Center Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
Abstract View
A Novel Nanofiber Nasal Filter for Improved Respiratory Health
TAEWON HAN, Gediminas Mainelis, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Abstract Number: 187 Working Group: Health Related Aerosols
Abstract The goal of this research was to develop and test novel nasal filter capable of reducing personal exposures not only to large allergenic particles, such as molds and pollen, but also to ultrafine particles, thus reducing respiratory health risks. Several nasal filters are commercially available, and in the first step of this project we investigated performance of seven such filters when collecting 1 and 3 µm monodisperse PSL particles at 10 L/min sampling rates. The aerosol concentration upstream and downstream of each filter was determined by an optical particle counter. All but one tested nasal filter were not efficient at collecting 1-3 µm PSL particles: less than 31% collection efficiency for 1 µm PSL. Thus, it was concluded that they were not well-suited for effective protection against airborne contaminants, especially those of smaller size (fine or ultrafine particles). We, therefore, designed and developed a novel nasal filter by using an electrospun nanofiber filtration approach: a thin coat of electrospun nanofibers was laid over a conventional non-woven microfibrous substrate (e.g., low efficiency Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) series of filters). A MERV 5 carbon filter was coated with Nylon-6 polymer nanofibers (~100 nm in diameter) at mass concentration of 2.97 g/m2 at the applied voltage of +25 kV for electrospinning. The resulting and newly developed nanofiber nasal filter (NNF) showed about 3-5× higher removal efficiency of 25 nm particles compared to commercially available nasal filters. The NNF also showed a much better overall performance when capturing larger particles (1 to 3 µm, which represents bacteria and molds) without introducing any substantial resistance to breathing. Thus, the NNF could be used as a new personal protection device designed to help protect individuals from exposures to airborne particles, ranging in size from pollen to ultrafine to nano-sized particles.