Power-free electrostatic collecting film development for purifying indoor air pollution

Abstract As a result of industrialization and urbanization, several harmful factors such as the presence of particulate matter (PM) and yellow sand in the atmosphere, have become an issue. As the interest in improving the air quality has increased, the market for high performance air cleaning products able to filter even exceedingly small dust particles is rapidly expanding. In this study, we present a flexible dielectric film that can adsorb PM using triboelectricity. Without the problem of pressure loss or generation of hazardous substances that occurred in previous filters, this polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based flexible dielectric film could be attached to an electric fan and PM can be removed. Triboelectricity is induced by the friction between PDMS and metal nanoparticles when vibration resulting from an external energy source occurs. It was experimentally confirmed that the PM removal efficiency of the PDMS-based flexible dielectric film was 20% higher than that of the control group, based on the standard 95% removal of PM. We expect that the proposed electrostatic film could be used as a highly efficient, flexible, and washable filter in PM removal systems.