Progress on particulate matter filtration technology: basic concepts, advanced materials, and performances

The PM (particulate matter)-induced haze problem has caused serious environmental and health concerns. It is still a huge challenge to control PM pollution because of the complex structure, diverse sources and intricate evolution mechanism of the particles. In recent years, there has been increasing efforts to develop advanced strategies for PM treatment. Herein, we wish to provide a systematic summary of recent progress in air filtration. The review covers the definition of PM, the characterization of PM, the mechanism of PM capture, advanced purification materials, and special multifunctional performances. As for characterizing PM particles, removal efficiency, pressure drop, flow rate, quality factor and optical transparency are the basic parameters. For the advanced filters with excellent filtration performance, some special properties such as thermal stability, antibacterial property, flame retardancy, recyclability and special wettability are in great need under certain extreme conditions. Finally, some future prospects for filtration materials, like material choice and structural design, are also discussed.