Multifunctional Polyacrylonitrile-based Pearl Nanofibrous Membrane Prepared by Electrospinning

Pearl is a pure natural material, which has multifunctional properties such as anti-ultraviolet, anti-static and far-infrared physiotherapy. In this study, a series of polyacrylonitrile/pearl nanofibrous membranes (PPFM) with different pearl powders were prepared by the electrospinning method. The membranes were then investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and their functional properties such as far-infrared emission, ultraviolet (UV) protection, and electrical resistivity were also studied. The experimental results reveal that pearl powders can significantly enhance the far-infrared emission of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and the average emissivity was increased up to 0.795 in the wavelength range of 8–14 μm when the pearl powder mass fraction increased to 9 %. In addition, the UV protection factor (UPF) of the membrane with 9 % pearl powder could reach 968, while the UPF of the pristine PAN membrane was only 11, and the electrical resistivity of PPFM was also improved after blending with pearl powders. The study proves that pearl powder can efficiently endow the PAN with multifunctional properties for more promising applications.