Fabrication of flexible self-standing all-cellulose nanofibrous composite membranes for virus removal

• All-cellulose nanocomposite membranes were fabricated as novel filtration system.
• Hot pressed electrospun cellulose nanofabric provided mechanical support.
• Regenerated cellulose gel coating with tiny inter-connected pores acted as barrier.
• Nanocomposite membranes showed rejection ratio of (98.68 ± 0.71)% against Hepatitis C Virus.

All-cellulose nanocomposite membranes with excellent performance were successfully fabricated as novel filtration system to remove nanoparticles and virus from aqueous medium. These membranes were composed of two combined layers: an electrospun cellulose nanofabric layer treated by hot-pressing to provide mechanical support and a coating of regenerated cellulose gel with tiny inter-connected pores as barrier. Hot-pressing did not affect the fiber shape of electrospun nanofabrics, but significantly improved their mechanical properties due to increased hydrogen bonds. The regenerated cellulose gel formed a porous coating that tightly attached to electrospun nanofabrics, and its pore size varied depending on cellulose source, solution concentration, and drying process. By assembling these two layers together, the nanocomposite membranes showed the notable retention of negatively charged 100 nm latex beads (99.30%). Moreover, the electronegative nature of cellulose membranes imparted the rejection ratio of 100% and (98.68 ± 0.71)% against positively charged 50 nm latex beads and Hepatitis C Virus, respectively.