Non-thermal Plasma Functionalization of Activated Carbon Fiber/BNNT Mats for Enhanced Heavy Metal Aerosol Capture

Abstract Airborne heavy metal (HM) aerosols pose significant threats to human health, particularly in industrial settings where fine particulate matter (PM) mediates deep respiratory exposure. Here, we report a non-thermal plasma (NTP)-functionalized activated carbon fiber (ACF)/boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) hybrid filtration platform for enhanced aerosol HM capture and filtration. Plasma activation introduces surface functional moieties, while BNNT incorporation provides active sites and hierarchical structuring for particle entrapment and filtration. Filtration performance was evaluated using manganese chloride (MnCl2) and sodium chloride (NaCl) model systems. This work presents a potential scalable and environmentally relevant approach for advanced HM aerosol capture.