Simulation and experimental investigation of electret polypropylene fiber preparation via centrifugal melt electrospinning for enhanced air filtration

Rapid urbanization and industrialization have led to severe air pollution, enabling bacteria and viruses to become suspended in aerosol particles, which can be inhaled and pose a significant threat to human health. Electrostatic filtration offers a solution to enhance filtration efficiency without increasing resistance. However, traditional electret methods involve the usage of toxic solvent evaporation, and electret filter materials like polypropylene (PP) often suffer from rapid charge dissipation. In this study, we combined centrifugal melt electrospinning with Dissipative Particle Dynamics simulations to achieve continuous electret production and investigate the influence of experimental conditions and polymer additives on the charge-trapping capability of PP fibers. The results show that centrifugal melt electrospinning significantly enhances the charge storage capacity of PP fibers. The alpha crystal form of PP enhances electret performance by generating more effective charge traps, and experimental parameters influence electret performance by altering crystal forms. Additives effectively promote charge stability, resulting in stable voltages up to 11.09 kV with 1.5 wt% electret additive. Moreover, our study elucidates the correlation between crystal structure and electret performance, providing valuable data for regulating electret PP fibers.