Researchers are working on reusable face masks to protect against coronavirus
- With protective gear in short supply, teams from China to Israel are trying to develop masks that can withstand repeated use
- Nanofibre product made in Hong Kong has virus filtration efficiency of 90 per cent and is said to be 10 times more breathable than N95 respirators
The highly contagious virus mainly spreads through respiratory droplets – when someone infected coughs, sneezes or talks – and contact routes, according to the World Health Organisation, and many governments recommend wearing face masks or cloth face coverings in public, especially when it is hard to keep physical distance from others.
“A good reusable mask against Covid-19 should provide high particulate filtration efficiency and bacterial filtration efficiency comparable to the standard surgical masks,” said Seeram Ramakrishna, a professor of mechanical engineering and bioengineering at the National University of Singapore.
“After proper disinfection or washing treatment, its appearance, fit, filtration efficiency and breathing resistance should not change significantly,” Ramakrishna said.
In Hong Kong, researchers at Polytechnic University’s mechanical engineering department have developed an electrostatically charged nanofibre filter that captures airborne particles or aerosols smaller than 100 nanometres in diameter – including the coronavirus.
It has a virus filtration efficiency of 90 per cent but is at least 10 times more breathable than N95 respirators – the disposable masks used by medical workers, according to two recent peer-reviewed papers published on scientific and medical research database ScienceDirect.