Science & Tech · Gadgets & EVs · 5 hrs ago
Light-recharged filter catches more than 99% of fine particles in tests
A team led by chemist Jihong Yu at Jilin University in China developed a reusable air filter made from polypropylene fabric, a material also used in medical masks.
Its coating holds an electric charge that attracts tiny particles, and light helps restore that charge.
The team tested charging it with LED light, sunlight-like light and a near-infrared laser.
In tests, it caught about 99.7% of fine salt and soot particles after 30 days, including in humid conditions.
It also continued working about as well as at first after 100 rounds of rinsing and light recharging, unlike disposable filters that need replacing when their charge fades or they clog.
The design could reduce replacement costs and plastic waste, but it is still at the lab-sample and early-prototype stage.
A coated filter caught more than 99 percent of fine particles in laboratory tests and maintained its performance for a month.
It could be rinsed and recharged with light, and worked about as well as at the start after 100 wash-and-recharge rounds.
The filter uses a coating that absorbs light and helps create a steady electric charge to capture particles.
The researchers tested it with salt and soot particles at humidity levels from 20 to 90 percent.
The filter remains at the laboratory-sample and early-prototype stage.
- Who
- A research team led by chemist Jihong Yu at Jilin University.
- What
- The team developed a light-rechargeable coated air filter that caught more than 99 percent of fine particles in tests.
- When
- In tests lasting 30 days; the article was published on October 29, 2026.
- Where
- Jilin University in Changchun, China, led the research. The location of the filter tests is not stated.
- Why
- To address the loss of charge and clogging that can reduce the performance of conventional filters.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Yu’s team coated polypropylene fabric with a material that can be charged by light.
The researchers tested the filter with salt and soot particles at humidity levels from 20 to 90 percent.
The filter kept a steady surface charge and caught about 99.7 percent of the particles.
The filter still worked about as well as it did at the start after rinsing and recharging with light.
- Particle capture
- More than 99 percent of fine particles in tests
- 30-day result
- About 99.7 percent of particles caught
- Wash-and-recharge durability
- 100 rounds
- Test humidity
- 20 to 90 percent
- Particle size
- 0.3 micrometers
- Development stage
- Laboratory samples and early prototypes
What people are saying
The light-charged system offers a sustainable and customizable approach for particle capture, effectively overcoming the challenges of poor filtration stability and clogging commonly observed in conventional filters.