A novel and facile synthesis of Ag-doped TiO₂ nanofiber for airborne virus/bacteria inactivation and VOC elimination under visible light

There are strong demands for high biocidal and degassing performance of fibrous air filters, and the development of photocatalytic nanofiber operating under visible-light remains a challenge. We present a novel technique for the fabrication of TiO₂ nanofibers (NFs) with Ag components concentrated on the fiber surface by inducing electrohydrodynamic transportation of Ag⁺ during electrospinning with negative electric potential. Unique localized Ag components on the surface of TiO₂ were beneficial for providing visible-light-response ability, and for offering small crystallite size, low-bandgap energy and recombination rate for fast and efficient photocatalytic reaction in air media. As consequences, optimized Ag/TiO₂ NFs exhibited remarkable ability for airborne bacteria and virus inactivation, as well as notable photocatalytic activity toward acetaldehydes under visible light. Moreover, this study presents a systematic comparison of Ag/TiO₂ NFs and Ag/TiO₂ NPs prepared by different electric potential and electrohydrodynamic methods.