Filtration & fl uid control
Almost perfect It’s generally accepted that the gold standard in face coverings is the N95 and FFP2 (and the similar FFP3) respirators, on account of their exceptional filtration efficacies. However, before the outbreak of Covid-19, researchers in Singapore were already working on achieving even higher performance. Associate professor Liu Zheng from Nanyang
Technological University (NTU) developed a now- patented reusable ‘nanotech’ facemask that attracts and traps nanoparticles. He and his team developed a method to manufacture a fabric polypropylene material – like that used for disposable surgical masks – with dielectric properties integrated into plastic fibres. “That means when we breathe through it, the mask vibrates and that will generate electric charges on the fabric, and those charges will attract small particles from the breath and trap them, which makes the filtering efficiency very high,” Liu explains. “Also, the fabric is very light – much thinner than fabric in the market – so the resistance [to breathing] is very low compared with commercially available masks.” Testing showed the composite fabric has 50% higher filtration efficiency than standard polypropylene masks (like the N95) and filtered up to 99.9% of particles as small as 0.3µm. The fabric’s fibres measure just 200 to 300nm in diameter, meaning it’s far less dense than the
WHEN CO
comparable N95 respirator and, therefore, easier to breathe through and more comfortable. It is also reusable and can be washed up to ten times. However, working with fellow scientists at NTU, Liu was able to further improve the efficacy of his face masks by combining it with an antimicrobial copper coating, developed by his colleague, Professor Lam Yeng Ming. The solution comprises millions of tiny nanoparticles, which collectively provide a much larger surface area for virus and bacterium to encounter, and the copper then induces oxidative damage to viral and bacterial cells. In tests, researchers introduced the coated fabric to droplets of multi-drug-resistant bacteria, which were dead within 45 seconds. Combining the two developments, the nanotech fabric traps bacteria and virus particles and the antimicrobial coating kills them on contact, making a unique and superior face covering. With the science in place, Liu wanted to make the technology widely available. “After the pandemic started, we had done the fundamental research, but we realised we needed to focus on the scalability of our product,” he says. “Making a few masks and making thousands or millions of masks is a different thing. We are almost at the stage of mass production: we already have a prototype, and the technology is ready for large-scale production. It will be very soon that we see it in the market.” ●
WHEN CONTACT S I IS NOT AN OPTION:
50% NTU
Higher fi ltration effi ciency with composite fabric than the standard polypropylene masks, such as the N95,and fi ltered up to 99.9% of particles as small as 0.3µm.
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introtek.com 10/15/21 7:30 AM 105
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