Kaolin/silica/mullite fiber multilayer membranes for high-efficiency gas filtration.

At present, the ultra-fine particulate matter (UPM) with diameter less than 1 μm cannot be filtered efficiently and precisely by the current filtration materials, which leads to the UPM being the main source of air pollution. Here, we prepared Kaolin/silica/mullite fiber multilayer membranes (KSFMs) by a simple vacuum filtration. The UPM filtration efficiency has been significantly improved by the nanoporous kaolin layer coated on the support body constructed by Si-sol bonded mullite fiber. By controlling the size and amount of kaolin particles in the mixed suspension, the structure and filtration efficiency and filtration resistance of the multilayer membranes are optimized. The multilayer membranes exhibit high UPM filtration efficiency with 99% for 0.3 μm and low filtration resistance (lower than 70 Pa at 0.3 m/s). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]