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7683402 
Journal Article 
Electrospun nanofibers of polyvinylidene fluoride incorporated with titanium nanotubes for purifying air with bacterial contamination 
Victor, FS; Kugarajah, V; Bangaru, M; Ranjan, S; Dharmalingam, S; , 
2021 
Environmental Science and Pollution Research International 
SPRINGER HEIDELBERG 
HEIDELBERG 
28 
28 
37520-37533 
English 
33713262 
WOS:000628491600004 
Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) blended with varying concentrations of titanium nanotubes (TNT) was electrospun to result in a nanocomposite filter media. Sandwich structures were obtained by depositing the electrospun fibers between polypropylene (PP) nonwoven sheets. The synthesized tubular TNT was confirmed for its morphology through a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The prepared filter media was analyzed through a scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effectiveness of the filter media was evaluated through the zone of inhibition and antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. The Box-Behnken design is experimented with three-level variables, namely areal density of substrate (GSM), electrospinning time (hours), and concentration of TNT (wt%) for investigating the bacterial filtration efficiency through an Andersen sampler. Among other statistical tests (STATs), PVDF + 15 wt% TNT has a bacterial filtration efficiency of 99.88% providing greater potentials upon application for clean air management. It can be noted that the future application of this formulation could be efficient filtration of other microbes and could be used in facemasks to industrial-scale air filters. Graphical abstract. 
Antibacterial filter; Bacterial filtration efficiency; Box-Behnken; Electrospun nanofiber; Titanium nanotube