Masks for COVID‐19

Abstract

Sustainable solutions on fabricating and using a face mask to block the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) spread during this coronavirus pandemic of 2019 (COVID‐19) are required as society is directed by the World Health Organization (WHO) toward wearing it, resulting in an increasingly huge demand with over 4 000 000 000 masks used per day globally. Herein, various new mask technologies and advanced materials are reviewed to deal with critical shortages, cross‐infection, and secondary transmission risk of masks. A number of countries have used cloth masks and 3D‐printed masks as substitutes, whose filtration efficiencies can be improved by using nanofibers or mixing other polymers into them. Since 2020, researchers continue to improve the performance of masks by adding various functionalities, for example using metal nanoparticles and herbal extracts to inactivate pathogens, using graphene to make masks photothermal and superhydrophobic, and using triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to prolong mask lifetime. The recent advances in material technology have led to the development of antimicrobial coatings, which are introduced in this review. When incorporated into masks, these advanced materials and technologies can aid in the prevention of secondary transmission of the virus.

Review on benefits, toxicity, challenges, and future of graphene-based face masks in the prevention of COVID-19 pandemic

“…Graphene is a hydrophobic material that is used in face masks to quickly remove respiratory droplets (Deng et al, 2021). Aerosolized particles ranging in size from 1 to 10 mm were trapped inside the pores of the outer layer of a traditional face mask.…”

Enhancing resilience in construction against infectious diseases using stochastic multi-agent approach

“…To test the application of the proposed framework in this capacity and investigate its parameter sensitivity for behavioural validation (see Section 4.3 ), the effectiveness of using face masks on preventing the spread of COVID-19 is simulated in the current case study. Several types of face masks have been suggested for limiting the spread of COVID-19 (e.g., surgical masks, N95, and 1 or 3 ply cloth masks), each of which have different characteristics and different levels of effectiveness in terms of reducing the rate of droplet and aerosol transmission modes [ 46 ]. In this case study, the use of surgical face masks are simulated, since they are one of the cheapest and most common types of face masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 46 ].…”

“…Several types of face masks have been suggested for limiting the spread of COVID-19 (e.g., surgical masks, N95, and 1 or 3 ply cloth masks), each of which have different characteristics and different levels of effectiveness in terms of reducing the rate of droplet and aerosol transmission modes [ 46 ]. In this case study, the use of surgical face masks are simulated, since they are one of the cheapest and most common types of face masks used during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 46 ]. To account for the effect of wearing surgical face masks in this case study, the general chance of transmission ( P T ) is reduced from 10% to 1% according to [ 38 ] and the value of other parameters are unchanged, as presented in Table 1 .…”

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle-Loaded Electrospun Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanofibers as a Potential Face Protector against Respiratory Viral Infections

“…Enormous efforts have been directed to improve the mask performance by incorporating new functionalities, such as using metal nanoparticles and herbal extracts to inactivate pathogens, graphene to make masks photothermal and superhydrophobic, and triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) to extend the mask lifetime. 23 Recently, the immobilization of Ag NPs on cotton fabrics of about 2–4 nm and 10 nm was studied, and the cotton fabric was observed to exhibit antiviral activity against influenza A and feline calicivirus. 24 Highly durable, antibacterial, and UV protective cotton fabrics were developed by the in situ synthesis of ZnO-NPs using hexamethyltriethylene tetramine (HMTETA) without the support of capping or other stabilizing agents.…”