High-temperature resistant CNP@PEI/PI nanofiber membranes for particulate matter filtration and volatile organic compound removal

Exhaust gases from industrial activities are major sources of air pollution following fuel combustion. The principal air pollutants include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM), which can enter the human lung and cause health damage if proper protective measures are not taken. Accordingly, this study successfully synthesized a fiber membrane composed of a metal-organic framework containing NH 2 -MIL-125 (NH2-Matériaux de l’Institut Lavoisier-125, NM125), carbon quantum dots (CQD), titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), Polyimide (PI), and Polyetherimide (PEI). The synthesized material was designated as CNP@PI/PEI. CNP@PI/PEI exhibited photocatalytic activity, filtration efficiency, and thermal resistance, enabling it to filter high-temperature exhaust gases from industrial activities and to decompose methylene blue and acetone. The highest photocatalytic degradation rates were 68.00% for methylene blue and 82% for 20 ppm acetone. The CNP@PI/PEI fiber membrane was produced under the following conditions: operating voltage (17.0 kV), collection time (2 h), catalyst addition (5 wt%), and CNP ratio (1.25). The resulting filtration efficiency and quality were 97.92% and 1.185 Pa -1 , respectively. Based on the TG and DSC results, the CNP@PI/PEI fiber membrane demonstrated thermal resistance that is suitable for potential application in high-temperature exhaust treatment in industrial systems such as servers, steel mills, and ironworks. Consequently, the CNP@PI/PEI membrane effectively captured nanoparticles and provided multifunctional environmental remediation through the photocatalytic degradation of various contaminants.