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Electrospun Hydrophobic Nanofiber Films from Biodegradable Zein and Curcumin with Improved Tensile Strength for Air Filtration

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Abstract

Zein as a natural protein had been widely used in various fields due to its biodegradability and biocompatibility. However, its sensitivity to humidity and poor mechanical performance limited its application in practice. In this study, zein-based composite nanofibers loaded with curcumin were prepared by electrospinning assisted with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The filtration efficiency of the modified nanofibers to the particles with diameters larger than 0.5 μm was all above 98%. The loaded curcumin interacted with protein molecular chains to form a network structure within tightly connected nanofibers, which exhibited excellent moisture resistance and good adhesion to cellulose paper towels used as air filter substrates. Meanwhile, its tensile strength had also been enhanced vastly to 0.72 MPa compared with the initial tensile strength of 0.21 MPa. This study provides a new electrospinning strategy for the preparation of zein-based composite nanofibers that can be widely utilized in air filtration with high moisture resistance.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Bei**g Natural Science Foundation (2202014) and open funding of Bei**g Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human.

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The authors have not disclosed any funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bei**g Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human, Bei**g Technology and Business University, Bei**g, China

    Shiyu **e, Bo Xu, Dagang Liu & Huafeng Tian

  2. Bei**g Key Laboratory of Quality Evaluation Technology for Hygiene and Safety of Plastics, School of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Bei**g Technology and Business University, Bei**g, China

    Shiyu **e, Bo Xu, Li Yuan, Yaxin Zhao, Na Ma, Yaomin Wang, Aimin **ang, Yuge Ouyang & Huafeng Tian

  3. School of Environment Science & Engineering, Nan**g University of Information, Nan**g, China

    Dagang Liu

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  1. Shiyu **e
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  3. Li Yuan
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Contributions

Shiyu **e wrote the manuscript. Huafeng Tian, Bo Xu, Dagang Liu, Aimin **ang and Yuge Ouyang provided the idea and revised this manuscript. Li Yuan, Yaxin Zhao, Na Ma and Yaomin Wang assisted with the experiment.

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Correspondence to Bo Xu, Dagang Liu or Huafeng Tian.

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**e, S., Xu, B., Yuan, L. et al. Electrospun Hydrophobic Nanofiber Films from Biodegradable Zein and Curcumin with Improved Tensile Strength for Air Filtration. J Polym Environ 31, 287–296 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-022-02564-5

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