MXene-Decorated Nylon Mesh Filters for Improvement of Indoor Air Quality by PM_2.5 Filtration

Air pollution isa problem that is increasing day by day and posesa threat on a global scale. Particulate matter (PM) is one of theair pollutants that is the biggest concern regarding air quality.In order to control PM pollution, highly effective air filters arerequired. This is especially necessary for PM with a diameter of lessthan 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), which poses a health riskto humans. In this study, we demonstrate for the first time the useof a two-dimensional titanium carbide (Ti3C2) MXene nanosheets-decorated nylon mesh (MDNM) as a low cost andhighly efficient PM2.5 filter. This study develops a proof-of-conceptmethod to capture PM2.5. Thanks to their high specificsurface area and active surface-terminating groups, conductive MXenenanosheets have made nylon mesh filters promising candidates for airfiltration. The developed filters used electrostatic force to capturePM(2.5) and showed high removal efficiency (90.05%) whenan ionizer was used and under an applied voltage of 10 V, while acommercial high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter had a removalefficiency of 91.03% measured under identical conditions. The proposedfilters, which stand out with their low energy consumption, low pressuredrop (& SIM;14 Pa), and cost-effectiveness, have the potential tobe a strong competitor to conventional PM filter systems used in manyfields.