Regular articles

A nanofilter composed of carbon nanotube-silver composites for virus removal and antibacterial activity improvement


Jun Pyo Kim , Jae Ha Kim , Jieun Kim , Soo No Lee , Han-Oh Park

DOI:10.1016/j.jes.2014.11.017

Received June 26, 2014,Revised November 06, 2014, Accepted November 11, 2014, Available online December 01, 2015

Volume 28,2016,Pages 275-283

We have developed a new nanofilter using a carbon nanotube-silver composite material that is capable of efficiently removing waterborne viruses and bacteria. The nanofilter was subjected to plasma surface treatment to enhance its flow rate, which was improved by approximately 62%. Nanoscale pores were obtained by fabricating a carbon nanotube network and using nanoparticle fixation technology for the removal of viruses. The pore size of the nanofilter was approximately 38 nm and the measured flow rate ranged from 21.0 to 97.2 L/(min·m2) under a pressure of 1–6 kgf/cm2 when the amount of loaded carbon nanotube-silver composite was 1.0 mg/cm2. The nanofilter was tested against Polio-, Noro-, and Coxsackie viruses using a sensitive real-time polymerase chain reaction assay to detect the presence of viral particles within the outflow. No trace of viruses was found to flow through the nanofilter with carbon nanotube-silver composite loaded above 0.8 mg/cm2. Moreover, the surface of the filter has antibacterial properties to prevent bacterial clogging due to the presence of 20-nm silver nanoparticles, which were synthesized on the carbon nanotube surface.

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