Design of electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofiber–coated nonwoven structure for sound absorption

Acoustic felts are commonly used in white goods. Bearing that into mind, this paper aims to enhance sound absorption behavior of such felts, in particular, within the low and medium frequency ranges. In doing so, wool and jute felt samples were coated with electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous membrane. These nanocoated felts were studied in terms of their sound absorption performance, air permeability, and surface morphology. The results indicated that the air permeability of the felts could be drastically decreased by coating with nanofibers, which was required for better acoustic performance of felt-like structures. Moreover, the samples having higher amount polyacrylonitrile nanofibers tended to demonstrate better sound absorbency.