Aerosols refer to tiny particles made of water or other matter that stay suspended in the air for a considerable amount of time. They are small and can penetrate the respiratory system. The WHO (World Health Organization) and CDC (Centers for Disease Control) have both simultaneously recognized aerosols as an effective mechanism against COVID-19 virus transmission. People release them whenever they talk, breathe, cough, sing or shout. However, if an individual is infected with COVID-19, the emitted aerosols can contain that virus and affect many people, making them sick as well. As a result, efforts had been taken by various world governments to reduce the overall quantity of aerosols in the environment and to minimize individual exposure to it. This has been done by asking people to wear masks mandatorily, and methods have been devised to improve air filtration systems and indoor ventilation.
A filter made from polymer nano-threads has been built to facilitate the removal of aerosols better. The experiments revealed that it blew three different commercial masks out of the water by trapping 99.9% of coronavirus aerosols. This is a massive contribution towards Nanofibers Market, and the industry can be expected to boost with the new study that uses coronavirus aerosols to evaluate the filtration efficacy of air filters and face masks.
In the previous studies, researchers primarily used surrogates of saline solution, bacteriophages, and polystyrene beads (a group of viruses that can affect bacteria). However, in this new study, the team has emphasized comparing the effectiveness of neck gaiter, electrospun nanofiber membranes, with surgical and cotton masks. It is based on their ability to remove coronavirus aerosols to prevent transmission through the air. It was discovered that the nanofiber filter was able to remove almost all of the coronavirus aerosols. The conclusion was reached compared to the cotton mask and neck gaiter that removed only about 45%-73% of aerosols and surgical masks, drawing 98% of coronavirus aerosols.
Thus, researchers produced a nanofiber filter by sending a high electrical voltage by a drop of liquid polyvinylidene fluoride so that threads could be spun at 300 nanometers in diameter (167 times thinner than a human hair). The process resulted in creating pores that were only a few micrometers in diameter on the nanofiber’s surface. As a consequence, the filter could capture 99.9 percent of the aerosols.
The production technique used for the research is referred to as electrospinning. It is a cost-effective technique that can also be used to produce nanofiber filters at an industrial scale to be used for personal protective equipment. Furthermore, electrospinning empowers nanofibers with an electrostatic charge enabling better aerosols capture and high porosity, making breathing easier while wearing these filters. This new development has vast potential due to its high-performance infiltration, scalability, and economic viability. Not to mention, the filters can meet the on-site needs of air filters and masks.
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