Development of Electrospun Nanofibrous Filters for Controlling Coronavirus Aerosols

Abstract

Airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 plays a critical role in spreading COVID-19. To protect public health, we designed and fabricated electrospun nanofibrous air filters that hold promise for applications in personal protective equipment (PPE) and the indoor environment. Due to ultrafine nanofibers (∼300 nm), the electrospun air filters had a much smaller pore size in comparison to the surgical mask and cloth masks (a couple of micrometers versus tens to hundreds of micrometers). A coronavirus strain served as a SARS-CoV-2 surrogate and was used to generate aerosols for filtration efficiency tests, which can better represent SARS-CoV-2 in comparison to other agents used for aerosol generation in previous studies. The electrospun air filters showed excellent performance by capturing up to 99.9% of coronavirus aerosols, which outperformed many commercial face masks. In addition, we observed that the same electrospun air filter or face mask removed NaCl aerosols equivalently or less effectively in comparison to the coronavirus aerosols when both aerosols were generated from the same system. Our work paves a new avenue for advancing air filtration by developing electrospun nanofibrous air filters for controlling SARS-CoV-2 airborne transmission.

Infection Prevention Mask Consisting of Nanofiber Filter and Habutae Silk Fabrics

“…From a literature review of numerous cloth masks, Clase et al [ 25 ] reported that cloth layering improves filter performance, but they did not discuss the relationship between this improvement and pressure drop. Shen et al [ 26 ] also reported the usefulness of nanofiber filters in comparison with nonwoven fabrics. However, they did not discuss pressure drop.…”

Fabrication of air filters with advanced filtration performance for removal of viral aerosols and control the spread of COVID-19

“…So, recently, the outbreak of the virus has made everyone think about air quality and the provision of proper air filtration systems. Besides, to protect general health, air filters based on electrospun nano-fibers that have antimicrobial properties have been expanded and can be used to provide proper ventilation systems and masks [ [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , [22] ].…”

Photosensitized Electrospun Nanofibrous Filters for Capturing and Killing Airborne Coronaviruses under Visible Light Irradiation

“… 11 , 12 Particularly, our previous study has underscored that electrospun membranes caught up to 99.9% of coronavirus aerosols. 15 …”

“…We are one of the first to use coronavirus aerosols to challenge air filters and evaluate filtration performance, also as suggested by our previous study. 15 Compared to other surrogates, murine hepatitis virus A59 (MHV-A59) best simulates the environmental and biological behavior of SARS-CoV-2 in filtration and disinfection because both viruses are β-coronaviruses and they have a similar virion size. 26 Moreover, we elucidate the molecular-level mechanism of how photooxidation damaged coronaviruses, impaired the biological functions of the viruses, and eventually inactivated the viruses for the first time.…”