A group of Indian scientists has made a self-cleaning “Copper-based Nanoparticle-coated Antiviral Face Mask.” The mask is very effective against the COVID 19 virus and many other viruses and bacteria. It is biodegradable, very breathable, and easy to clean.
ARCI made copper-based nanoparticles of about 20 nanometers put on cotton fabric. The fabric was coated with a substance that made it more effective against bacteria than 99.9% of the time. The CSIR-CCMB tested this fabric to see if it could kill SARS-CoV-2.
Key Highlight:
- An Indian research team has created a self-disinfecting Copper-based Nanoparticle-coated Antiviral Face Mask to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The mask is particularly effective against the COVID 19 virus and other bacteria and is biodegradable, breathable, and washable.
- Public mask-wearing is most efficient in limiting the spread of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2, an enveloped positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus.
- We have shown single and triple-layer prototype masks with nanoparticle-coated fabric as an outer layer.
- Wearing these self-disinfecting cotton masks is one of them.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Indian scientists worked with an industry partner to make a face mask that could be cleaned by itself. The mask is made of copper nanoparticles and is coated with an antiviral material. The mask is very effective against the COVID 19 virus and many other viruses and bacteria. It is biodegradable, very breathable, and easy to clean.
Public masks are the best way to stop the spread of COVID-19, a virus caused by SARS-CoV-2, which is an enveloped positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus that mostly spreads through airborne respiratory particles.
There is a lot of new information about how masks can stop people from getting sick, but the Indian market sells expensive masks that aren’t antiviral or antibacterial. Thus, it is very difficult to stop the spread of the virus by wearing a traditional mask in places like hospitals, airports, stations, shopping malls, and so on, where the virus load is very high. In today’s world, where changes in the coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 pandemic is happening quickly, making a cheap antiviral mask is very important.
Scientists at the International Advanced Research Center for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), an R&D center run by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have developed a way to fight viruses by making copper-based nanoparticle-coated antiviral face masks that can be cleaned by themselves. They worked with the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CSIR-CCMB) and Resil Chemicals, a company in Bangalore, to make the masks.
This is how ARCI made copper-based nanoparticles with a Flame Spray Pyrolysis (FSP) processing facility. They were about 20 nanometers in diameter. FSP is a process that turns solution precursors into nanopowders by breaking them down at high temperatures. Stable nanoparticle suspensions were made by adjusting the solid loading and pH. A good binder was used to get a uniform layer of this nano-coating on the cotton fabric and keep it in place. The fabric was coated with a substance that made it more effective against bacteria than 99.9% of the time. Tests by the CSIR-CCMB found that this fabric was 99.9% disinfected against SARS-CoV-2, which is what the standard results show. It has been shown that prototype masks with different designs, such as single and triple layers masks, with nanoparticle-coated fabric as the outer layer, have been made. Putting a single-layer mask on top of a regular mask is a great way to protect yourself from viruses.
Because of their partner, Resil Chemicals Bengaluru is now making these double-layer masks on a large scale. Viruses can spread if face masks aren’t worn properly or thrown away properly. The public can use simple multi-layer cloth masks to keep COVID-19 out of the community, and wearing these self-cleaning cloth masks is one of them.
In addition, there is a lot of worry about getting rid of used masks all over the world. Most of the traditional masks that work well against COVID-19 are only good for one use and are not biodegradable, which can impact the environment and waste management. Antiviral masks like this one, made of biodegradable cotton, would also be very breathable and easy to clean.
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