Journal of Textile Science and Technology

Journal of Textile Science and Technology

Fabrication and Characterization of Electrospun, Cellulose acetate Nanofibrous Composite Masks Containing Iron and Copper Oxide Nanoparticles for Airborne Particulate Filtration

Document Type : Research/ Original/ Regular Article

Authors
Javad Nouri 1
Pieman Valipour 1
Alireza Hoseinpour Kasgari 1
ramin khajavi 2
vahid mohamadi 1
1 1 Department of Textile Engineering, Apparel, and Fashion, QaS.C.,Islamic Azad University, Qaem Shahr, IRAN, P.O.Box 163
2 Department of Chemical & Polymer Engineering, ST.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Nanotechnology Research Center
10.22034/jtst.2026.589501.1558
Abstract
Air pollution and the increasing spread of pathogenic agents have highlighted the need for the development of filtration materials with high efficiency and improved functional performance. In this study, electrospun cellulose acetate nanofibers modified with iron sulfate and copper sulfate salts were fabricated and preliminarily evaluated as potential filtration media. Initially, the optimal electrospinning conditions were determined by investigating the effects of solution concentration, applied voltage, feeding rate, and needle-to-collector distance. Subsequently, four types of nanofibrous layers, including pristine cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate containing iron sulfate, cellulose acetate containing copper sulfate, and cellulose acetate containing both iron sulfate and copper sulfate, were prepared. The morphological characteristics and fiber diameter were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical properties were assessed by tensile testing, filtration performance and pressure drop were determined under the specified test conditions, and preliminary changes in microbial growth were investigated. The results demonstrated that increasing the cellulose acetate concentration to 18 wt% reduced bead formation and resulted in the formation of more uniform nanofibers. The optimum electrospinning parameters were determined as an 18 wt% polymer concentration, an applied voltage of 17 kV, a needle-to-collector distance of 70 mm, and a solution feeding rate of 1 mL h⁻¹. The incorporation of metal salts altered the fiber morphology and decreased the average fiber diameter, with the measured diameters ranging within [actual value] nm. The cellulose acetate containing both iron sulfate and copper sulphate sample exhibited a filtration efficiency of [actual value]% for particles with a size of [particle size] µm and a pressure drop of [actual value] [unit] under the applied test conditions. The mechanical and filtration results were reported based on [number of independent replicates] independent replicates and expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Preliminary microbial growth evaluation indicated that the presence of metal salts was associated with changes in the observed colony growth patterns. However, due to the lack of reference microbial strains and quantitative antimicrobial analysis, these findings are considered preliminary evidence of the possible effect of metal-containing compounds on microbial growth rather than definitive antimicrobial activity. Overall, the developed metal salt-modified cellulose acetate nanofibrous layers demonstrated potential for further investigation as filtration media. Nevertheless, additional studies, including biosafety assessment, metal ion release evaluation, long-term performance stability under realistic conditions, and standardized application-related testing, are required before considering practical implementation.
Keywords
Electrospinning
Cellulose acetate
Copper sulfate
Iron sulfate
Airborne particulate filtration
Subjects
1. Yue, H., et al., Stronger policy required to substantially reduce deaths from PM2.5 pollution in China. Nature Communications, 2020. 11(1): p. 1462.
2. Downward, G.S., et al., Long-term exposure to ultrafine particles and incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease in a prospective study of a Dutch cohort. Environmental health perspectives, 2018. 126(12): p. 127007.
3. Robert, B. and G. Nallathambi, A concise review on electrospun nanofibres/nanonets for filtration of gaseous and solid constituents (PM2.5) from polluted air. Colloid and Interface Science Communications, 2020. 37: p. 100275.
4. Zare Mehrjardi, A., H. Rahimnezhad, and S. Rahimnezhad, Investigating the antibacterial and absorbent properties of disposable masks based on the hydroxyapatite. Journal of Textile Science and Technology, 2023. 12(2): p. 26-40.
5. Ghajarieh, A., S. Habibi, and A. Talebian, A review on the medical application of electrospun nanofibers. Journal of Textile Science and Technology, 2019. 8(1): p. 31-44.
6. Li, Y., et al., Electrospun nanofibers for high-performance air filtration. Composites Communications, 2019. 15: p. 6-19.
7. Rafiei, S. and P. Valipour, Comparative study on electrocentrifuge and electrospinning of Polyacrylonitrile as two different methods of creating new nanofilters in environmental refinement. Journal of Textile Science and Technology, 2024. 13(3): p. 1-24.
8. Ahmed, F.E., B.S. Lalia, and R. Hashaikeh, A review on electrospinning for membrane fabrication: Challenges and applications. Desalination, 2015. 356: p. 15-30.
9. Nazockdast, H., Properties and medical applications of electrospun chitosan nanofibers: a review. Journal of Textile Science and Technology, 2014. 4(1): p. 43-55.
10. Dehghan, N., P. Payvandy, and M. Tavanaei, Image Processing for Optimization of Thresholding Methods and Determination of Nanofibers Diameter. Journal of Textile Science and Technology, 2013. 3(3): p. 17-28.
11. Doshi, J. and D.H. Reneker, Electrospinning process and applications of electrospun fibers. Journal of Electrostatics, 1995. 35(2): p. 151-160.
12. Reneker, D.H. and A.L. Yarin, Electrospinning jets and polymer nanofibers. Polymer, 2008. 49(10): p. 2387-2425.
13. Reneker, D.H., et al., Electrospinning of Nanofibers from Polymer Solutions and Melts, in Advances in Applied Mechanics, H. Aref and E. van der Giessen, Editors. 2007, Elsevier. p. 43-346.
14. Thompson, C.J., et al., Effects of parameters on nanofiber diameter determined from electrospinning model. Polymer, 2007. 48(23): p. 6913-6922.
15. Hekmati, A., et al., Effect of needle length, electrospinning distance, and solution concentration on morphological properties of polyamide-6 electrospun nanowebs. Textile Research Journal, 2013. 83: p. 1452-1466.
16. Liu, R., et al., Classification NanoSAR development for cytotoxicity of metal oxide nanoparticles. Small, 2011. 7(8): p. 1118-26.
17. Tong, H.W. and M. Wang, Electrospinning of fibrous polymer scaffolds using positive voltage or negative voltage: a comparative study. Biomed Mater, 2010. 5(5): p. 054110.
18. Zhang, Z., et al., Electrospun transparent nanofibers as a next generation face filtration media: A review. Biomaterials Advances, 2023. 149: p. 213390.
19. Dharmaraj, S., et al., The COVID-19 pandemic face mask waste: A blooming threat to the marine environment. Chemosphere, 2021. 272: p. 129601.
20. Coia, J.E., et al., Guidance on the use of respiratory and facial protection equipment. J Hosp Infect, 2013. 85(3): p. 170-82.
21. Tan, N.P., et al., Solution Blow Spinning (SBS) Nanofibers for Composite Air Filter Masks. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2019. 2.
22. Lee, H. and S. Jeon, Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber Membranes Modified with Ni-Based Conductive Metal Organic Frameworks for Air Filtration and Respiration Monitoring. ACS Applied Nano Materials, 2020. XXXX.
23. Maher, B., et al., A fluid mechanics explanation of the effectiveness of common materials for respiratory masks. Int J Infect Dis, 2020. 99: p. 505-513.
24. Tcharkhtchi, A., et al., An overview of filtration efficiency through the masks: Mechanisms of the aerosols penetration. Bioact Mater, 2021. 6(1): p. 106-122.
25. Zhang, Z., et al., Electrospun ultrafine fibers for advanced face masks. Mater Sci Eng R Rep, 2021. 143: p. 100594.
26. Zhuangbo, F., Z. Long, and Y. Tao, Filtration characteristics of fibrous filter following an electrostatic precipitator. Journal of Electrostatics, 2016. 83: p. 52-62.
27. Naragund, V.S. and P.K. Panda, Electrospun nanofiber-based respiratory face masks-a review. Emergent Mater, 2022. 5(2): p. 261-278.
28. Liao, M., et al., A technical review of face mask wearing in preventing respiratory COVID-19 transmission. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci, 2021. 52: p. 101417.
29. Raghunath, A. and E. Perumal, Metal oxide nanoparticles as antimicrobial agents: a promise for the future. Int J Antimicrob Agents, 2017. 49(2): p. 137-152.
30. Dizaj, S.M., et al., Antimicrobial activity of the metals and metal oxide nanoparticles. Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2014. 44: p. 278-84.
31. Hu, X., et al., In vitro evaluation of cytotoxicity of engineered metal oxide nanoparticles. Sci Total Environ, 2009. 407(8): p. 3070-2.
32. Parham, S., et al., ChemInform Abstract: Antimicrobial Treatment of Different Metal Oxide Nanoparticles: A Critical Review. ChemInform, 2016. 47.
33. Son, W.K., J.H. Youk, and W.H. Park, Antimicrobial cellulose acetate nanofibers containing silver nanoparticles. Carbohydrate Polymers, 2006. 65(4): p. 430-434.
34. Karthick, A. and G. Nallathambi, Nano silver incorporated electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers and spun bonded polypropylene composite for aerosol filtration. Journal of Industrial Textiles, 2017. 46: p. 1342-1361.
35. Bashiri Rezaie, A., M. Montazer, and M. Mahmoudi Rad, Facile fabrication of cytocompatible polyester fiber composite incorporated via photocatalytic nano copper ferrite/myristic-lauric fatty acids coating with antibacterial and hydrophobic performances. Mater Sci Eng C Mater Biol Appl, 2019. 104: p. 109888.
36. Jiang, Y.-C., et al., Particle Removal and Antibacterial of Nanofiber Doped with Metal and Ions Prepared by Electrospinning. Aerosol and Air Quality Research, 2023. 23(7): p. 220342.
37. Thomberg, T., et al., The anti SARS-CoV-2 activity of nanofibrous filter materials activated with metal clusters. Atmospheric Environment: X, 2023. 17: p. 100212.
38. Yan, N., et al., Highly electrostatic cellulose acetate materials assisted by copper ion coordination for air filtration. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2025. 505: p. 159848.

  • Receive Date 02 July 2026
  • Revise Date 06 August 2026
  • Accept Date 14 August 2026