Synergistic Enhancement of Modified‐ PVDF Humidity Sensitivity via Chemical Adsorption‐Ionic Conductivity and its Application in Intelligent Powered Air‐Purifying Respirator

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Authors: Xinjian He, Hongwei Liu, Xianjie Xu, Xinkai Qi, Di Gao, Hanling Deng, Dusong Hou, Qianyao Lu, Lei Zhu, Sheng Huang
Cited by: 1
References: 65

Abstract

This study proposes an intelligent powered air‐purifying respirator with a superhydrophobic polyvinylidene fluoride/SiO 2 humidity‐sensitive sensor to address heat and moisture accumulation and high breathing resistance in self‐priming filter‐type respirators. The humidity sensor, featuring a contact angle of 151°, exhibits a 30% resistance change between 75% and 95% RH. This change is driven by the synergistic effects of chemical adsorption of water molecules onto polar groups (F, H, O) and physical adsorption with capillary condensation. First‐principles calculations reveal that the band gap decreases from 0.2782 eV to 0.1616 eV as humidity increases, enhancing electrical conductivity. The respirator dynamically adjusts fan speed, ranging from 5000 to 35 000 rpm, using a Gated Recurrent Unit neural network based on breath prediction, thereby achieving efficient gas exchange. Comparative experiments with self‐aspirating filtering respirators demonstrate that the respirator effectively reduces internal mask temperature, lowers humidity to ambient levels, and maintains positive pressure inside the mask, significantly decreasing breathing resistance. Computational fluid dynamics simulations confirm the dynamic balance of airflow inside the mask, ensuring high ventilation efficiency. This design significantly enhances heat and moisture management and reduces breathing resistance, offering an advanced solution for addressing the challenges in self‐priming filter‐type respirators.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Surface Modification and Superhydrophobicity Solar-Powered Water Purification Methods Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials

Publication details

Journal / source
Energy & environment materials
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
9
Issue
3
Publication date
2 January 2026
Language
EN