Posted on 06/11/2021 9:37:10 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Scientists from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have developed a reusable mask that is able to kill bacteria droplets within 45 seconds and filter 99.9 per cent of bacteria, viruses and haze particles - better than the medical-grade N95 masks used in hospitals.
N95 masks are able to prevent around 95 per cent of aerosolised droplets and particulate matter of around 0.3 microns in size from entering them.
The filter of the NTU-developed mask is coated with a layer of copper oxide nanoparticles, which damage the DNA of important cell structures in the bacteria, causing them to die, said Professor Lam Yeng Ming, chair of NTU's School of Materials Science and Engineering, who developed the antimicrobial coating.
To ensure these microbes remain trapped on the filter, Associate Professor Liu Zheng managed to integrate electrostatic materials to the fabric filter made from polypropylene, so that particles, including bacteria and viruses, with a negative or positive charge can be attracted to it.
To test the efficacy of this, experiments were conducted in collaboration with scientists from the National University of Singapore, where multi-drug resistant bacteria that were sprayed in droplet form onto the fabric surface were killed in 45 seconds.
Asked if the copper oxide nanoparticles are also able to kill viruses such as the Sars-CoV-2 virus which causes Covid-19, the team said various peer-reviewed studies have shown that these coatings can reduce surface transmission of the virus, though they had not experimented with it.
For instance, in a study conducted by The University of Hong Kong and Virginia Tech in the United States, door handles coated with a layer of copper oxide material had shown that the infectivity of the Covid-19 virus was reduced by 99.8 per cent in 30 minutes and 99.9 per cent in an hour.
The NTU team tested their nanoparticle coating by washing it in soap water at 45 deg C for 120 washing cycles, and found that there was almost no copper loss, posing little risk of toxicity to humans.
The nanoparticles are also bonded to the fibres within the mask, so there is no contact with human skin.
With these properties integrated into the mask prototype, Prof Lam said that the mask is well-equipped to protect one from Covid-19.
With the electrostatic fabric integrated into the mask's filter, its filtration efficiency is higher compared with mask filters made purely of polypropylene, which typically have a bacterial filtration efficiency of 95 per cent, like surgical masks, said Prof Liu.
In comparison, the NTU-developed mask has a bacterial filtration efficiency of 99.9 per cent, meaning that it is able to prevent 99.9 per cent of bacteria-containing respiratory droplets that are around three microns in size from escaping.
A cough typically expels droplets that are between five and 20 microns in size.
At the same time, the mask is also able to prevent 99.9 per cent of aerosolised droplets and particulate matter that are around 0.3 microns in size from entering it.
Therefore, the mask's filtration efficiency surpasses that of an N95 mask but allows the wearer to breathe more easily, since it contains only a single filter, said Prof Liu.
Comparatively, N95 masks may contain multiple layers of filters to trap the haze and smoke particles, which make breathing more difficult, he added.
Associate Professor Liu Zheng (left) holding the nanotech mask with Professor Lam Yeng Ming holding the copper nanoparticles in a bottle.
The Ministry of Health has advised that people wear masks of at least 95 per cent bacterial filtration efficiency, in the light of a rise in community cases and there being more infectious variants in circulation.
The antimicrobial coating is found to be effective for at least six days, and the mask can be washed and reused for over 10 times without affecting its efficacy rate, said Prof Lam.
However, more tests have to be done to determine the maximum reusability of the mask before its antimicrobial and filtration efficiencies are affected.
The antimicrobial coating has a patent filed through NTU's enterprise and innovation company, NTUitive, and Prof Lam's team is already working with a local company, Sportiv Tech Lab, for its reusable face mask.
In addition, the electrostatic fabric material is now used by an overseas manufacturer to make N95 masks, so they are as easy to breathe in as disposable surgical masks. These are now available commercially.
The team is hoping to work with local industry partners who are keen to license and scale up the production of their mask.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
and for one meeeellion dollars you can own one too
They had copper infused masks for quite some time- but they were hugely expensive- supposedly covid is less than .3 microns in size too-
So what happens to our evolving immune systems if we filter out every bacteria and virus? No thanks. They would have us all masked and unable to breathe or communicate if they had their way.
Has China bought them all up yet?
So when those particles break off and are inhaled into the lungs, then what happens?
Excessive copper in the blood causes Wilson’s disease, if I remember correctly.
I don’t remember a lot about the dz. it has been a while since I’ve even thought about that.
Never heard of it so I looked it up. Very interesting.
I was thinking more along the lines of what would happen to the cells in the lungs considering the effect the substance has on bacteria.
Plus, it’s developed in China. Who in their right mind would trust it?
This will probably be $49.99 per mask.
Tape on Saran Wrap.
Very effective but does have some draw backs.
Asked if the copper oxide nanoparticles are also able to kill viruses such as the Sars-CoV-2 virus which causes Covid-19, the team said various peer-reviewed studies have shown that these coatings can reduce surface transmission of the virus, though they had not experimented with it.
For instance, in a study conducted by The University of Hong Kong and Virginia Tech in the United States, door handles coated with a layer of copper oxide material had shown that the infectivity of the Covid-19 virus was reduced by 99.8 per cent in 30 minutes and 99.9 per cent in an hour.
How long can you hold your breath while the cloth of this mask kills the COVID19 virus? Two minutes? One minute?
That statement is twaddle as we already know that the SARS II variant responsible for COVID19 doesn’t survive very long on surfaces and is not spread that way anyway!
The key headline point that these masks were effective against viruses is a LIE. they are filters against 0.3 or smaller Ångstrom particulate objects, but the vast majority of viruses are smaller than 1 Ångstrom and can pass through quite nicely, thank you.
Unless these masks have a charged filter system which ionizes the air, passes that air through an opposite charge filtration system to extract ALL particulates, and then passes that clean air through strong ultraviolet light, they are ineffective at killing viruses.
Spray your mask with Zicam. You’ll be fine. Really.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is large as viruses go…
This mask claims to filter to 0.3 microns. Can you imagine the effort to inhale and exhale through that? The N95 is already work if fitted properly…
If this new mask is like the N95 masks, they will actually be even more effective against smaller particles. Essentially, a static charge attracts the smaller particles to the fibers, which they cling to.
https://rk.md/2020/how-do-n95-masks-work/
Does that work any better than Lysol? /s
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NTU is in Singapore, a sovereign country with a unitary parliamentary republic with a Westminster system of unicameral parliamentary government. They were part of the British Empire. They are fairly friendly with China though
What is 0.1% of a billion?
Well, considering where they are, they’d have to be on fairly good terms with them.
So that’s a little better. I wonder if the masks would be made in Singapore or outsourced.
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