Quantification of Airborne Concentrations of Nanoscale Dusts by Particle Gravimetry Using Ionic-Liquid Modified Polymeric Electrospun Fibers

Abstract

In this work, functional polymeric filters are prepared by electrospinning using four different non-ionic polymers or their blends together with deliberately selected additives, and then tested for quantification of the nano-sized powders. Particle gravimetry is used for the quantitative determination of the dusts. Validation studies are carried out using the ICP-OES technique. The polymeric fibers prepared with different contents consist of PS/PMMA, PVDF/EC/PMMA, chitosan, chitosan/PMMA and PMMA/PVDF, respectively. The ionic liquids of tetra-n-butylammonium tetrafluoroborate, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate and hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide are used as additives for the preparation of the functional polymeric fibers. The prepared nanoscale dusts and electrospun fibers are characterized by SEM, XRD, XPS, and size distribution analysis techniques, respectively. Among them, the CTAB-modified chitosan fibers exhibit the highest dust retention efficiency. This study introduces a new approach to the quantification of nano-sized powders. In addition, it is concluded that the proposed method can be used in pre-concentration before testing, cleaning powders from the working environment and quantitative analysis of nanoscale powders. The presented materials can also be used to improve indoor air quality and potential worker exposure in workplaces.