Nanofibers in face masks and respirators to provide better protection

18th World Textile Conference

Akduman, C.^1 ; Akcakoca Kumbasar, E.P.^2

Pamukkale University, Denizli Vocational School of Technical Sciences, Department of Textile Technology, Denizli

20100, Turkey^1

Ege University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Textile Engineering, Izmir

35100, Turkey^2

关键词: Airborne contaminants;    Dangerous substances;    Face masks;    Immediate environment;    Infectious particles;    Micron-sized particles;    Naturally occurring;    Potential contaminants;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1757-899X/460/1/012013/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1757-899X/460/1/012013

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

A facemask is a loose-fitting, disposable device that creates a physical barrier between the mouth and nose of the wearer and potential contaminants in the immediate environment. They are generally labelled as surgical, isolation, dental or medical procedure masks. On the other hand, respirators are personal air purifiers. They are designed to protect the wearer from inhaling dangerous substances such as toxic chemicals and infectious particles. Respirators are designed to help reduce the wearer's respiratory exposure to airborne contaminants such as particles that are small enough to be inhaled - particles less than 100 microns (μm) in size. A face masks or a respirator consist entirely or substantially of filter material or comprises a face piece in which the main filter(s) form an inseparable part of the device. Nanofibers could be the key elements for filter materials in face masks or respirators. They have a very high surface area per unit mass that enhances capture efficiency and other surface area-dependent phenomena that may be engineered into the fiber surfaces (such as catalysis or ion exchange). They could enhance filter performance for capture of naturally occurring nanoparticles such as viruses, as well as micron-sized particles such as bacteria or man-made particles such as soot from diesel exhaust.