Bio-inspired hydrogel-coated air filter for particulate matter removal

The interest of humanity in particulate matter (PM) is significantly increasing. Also, PM causes various cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. For this reason, various studies have been conducted to reduce PM concentration. Among them, Tillandsia Usneoides known as one of air plants was studied for its effectiveness in reducing PM due to its surface structure (trichome). In this study, the performance of a nature-inspired filter mimicking Tillandsia was quantitatively analyzed. This mesh filter coated with alginate hydrogel was fabricated based on Landau-Levich equation for fluid coating on wires. The filter was placed in a test chamber and a wind tunnel representing indoor space considering with and without airflow. Therefore, we measured variation in PM concentration and pressure drop by the filter to observe PM removal effect of the hydrogel-coated air filter, and also investigated the effect of the wire diameter of the filter and airflow rate on PM removal efficiency through this experimentation.