Moxibustion, a traditional Chinese medicine therapy, utilizes the therapeutic components in smoke generated by burning moxa sticks for treatment. However, the concomitant ultrafine oily aerosols could cause respiratory irritation, limiting its broader adoption. Herein, a helical carbon nanotube membrane (HCNTM) was developed via a morphology-control strategy for moxa smoke purification and occupational health protection. The HCNTM demonstrated stable filtration efficiency of >99.9% for oily aerosols with sizes of 100, 200, 300 and 1000 nm. Furthermore, the used HCNTM could be regenerated within 10 s through ethanol soaking and combustion, with performance fully restored. Unlike conventional straight-fiber membranes, HCNTM optimized the interception process via the synergy of surface tension and fiber curvature, achieving low filtration resistance of 365 Pa and >99% efficiency for total moxa smoke aerosols. Animal studies using an allergic rhinitis model were conducted to evaluate its protective efficacy. The results demonstrated that exposure to HCNTM-purified air significantly alleviated moxa smoke-exacerbated allergic rhinitis symptoms and airway inflammation in mice. This work presents a high-performance, renewable membrane based on morphological design, offering a sustainable material solution and clean production for respiratory health protection in moxibustion practice.
Keywords: Helical carbon nanotube; High-efficiency filtration; Membrane regeneration; Moxa smoke purification; Occupational health protection.
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