Small molecule barrier empowered high-efficiency green electrospinning of fully bio-based nanofibrous membrane for antibacterial and UV-shielding air filtration.

Abstract

Green electrospinning of fully bio-based nanofibrous membranes holds significant promise for sustainable development. However, the complex molecular structures and functional groups inherent in bio-based materials often lead to strong intermolecular interactions. It may cause nozzle clogging and hinder the stretching and thinning of electrospinning jets, thereby adversely affecting performance optimization and scalable manufacturing of fibers. This study proposes an innovative "small-molecule barrier" strategy by introducing small molecules with controlled hydrogen bonds to shield strong polymer interactions. It reduced the jetting resistance of the microjet, significantly improving the electrospinning efficiency and the fiber formation quality. Resveratrol (RV) and naringin (NRG) were selected as the most suitable small molecules, which increased the jetting continuity of zein solution by 5.75 times and also achieved multifunctional integration. Furthermore, a sheath gas-assisted 8-nozzle electrospinning device was used to significantly increase production efficiency by 11.2 times. Most importantly, high-efficiency electrospinning of bio-based materials using water and ethanol as green solvents has become possible. The zein/RV/NRG membrane showed better filtration performance than the N95 mask core layer, with antibacterial rates against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus over 97 %, and a ultraviolet protection factor of 107.51. This study advances the green manufacturing of high-performance multifunctional composite nanofibers.