Assembly of odour adsorbent nanofilters by incorporating cyclodextrin molecules into electrospun cellulose acetate webs

A significant problem in ventilating domestic or commercial kitchens is the removal and separation of volatile compounds which we perceive as strong smells of the sort particularly emitted whilst frying food. In this research, the feasibility of preparing enriched electrospun cellulose acetate (CA)-based nanofibres containing cone-shaped molecules of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) for the adsorption of the very strong and sharp aldehyde odour of hexanal, which is a marker for oil and fat oxidation was investigated. A binary solvent system using acetone: DMF (2:1) was shown to be suitable for solution blending of CA with beta-CD. Nanofibrous webs were continuously produced and found to be substantially free of defects such as beading, producing fibres with the average diameters of 773 +/- 50 nm in the range: 250-1.5 mu m. Colorimetry was used to show the entrapment of beta-CD in the CA structure. The encapsulation efficiency of beta-CD in the fibre structures was typically 85%. FTIR of the electrospun nanofibres examining the fingerprint region of CA indicating no structural changes in the CA during processing. Our results show that electrospun CA fibres embedded with beta-CD molecules demonstrate enhanced direct adsorption of model odour material hexanal (up to 80%) indicating feasibility for use in filtration.