Prospect of biobased antiviral face mask to limit the coronavirus outbreak

Abstract

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has led to nationwide lockdowns in many countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has played serious havoc on economic activities throughout the world. Researchers are immensely curious about how to give the best protection to people before a vaccine becomes available. The coronavirus spreads principally through saliva droplets. Thus, it would be a great opportunity if the virus spread could be controlled at an early stage. The face mask can limit virus spread from both inside and outside the mask. This is the first study that has endeavoured to explore the design and fabrication of an antiviral face mask using licorice root extract, which has antimicrobial properties due to glycyrrhetinic acid (GA) and glycyrrhizin (GL). An electrospinning process was utilized to fabricate nanofibrous membrane and virus deactivation mechanisms discussed. The nanofiber mask material was characterized by SEM and airflow rate testing. SEM results indicated that the nanofibers from electrospinning are about 15–30 μm in diameter with random porosity and orientation which have the potential to capture and kill the virus. Theoretical estimation signifies that an 85 L/min rate of airflow through the face mask is possible which ensures good breathability over an extensive range of pressure drops and pore sizes. Finally, it can be concluded that licorice root membrane may be used to produce a biobased face mask to control COVID-19 spread.

Detecting COVID-19 from Breath: A Game Changer for a Big Challenge

“… 52 − 55 Some studies have confirmed the airborne transmission of COVID-19 through saliva droplets, 35 , 56 whereas others have established dynamic flow models of airborne particles containing SARS-CoV-2 trying to elucidate the contexts in which COVID-19 airborne transmission mainly occurs. 57 , 58 Two factors are considered in evaluating the airborne transmission: (i) the viral load in saliva and mucosae droplets, and (ii) the survival rate of the SARS-CoV-2 in the environment. It has been proven that the viral load can vary depending on the specimen being considered.…”

Antibacterial Activity and Protection Efficiency of Polyvinyl Butyral Nanofibrous Membrane Containing Thymol Prepared through Vertical Electrospinning

“…The fiber diameter of each nonwoven fabric was observed by SEM ( Figure S2 and Table S7 ). However, most of the airborne viruses (Corona) spread through the aerosol are in nanometers [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 ]. The fiber diameter of the nanofiber prepared in this study was 375 + 69 nm, and the filter efficiency was improved by reducing the fiber diameter.…”

Functionalized Masks: Powerful Materials against COVID‐19 and Future Pandemics

“…In another safer approach, the extracts of licorice roots as bio‐based antiviral agents were embedded into the mask structure, [ 93 ] while the extracts already demonstrated powerful antiviral activities against various viruses including RSV, HIV, and SARS‐CoV. [ 147 , 148 ] Practically, electrospinning of an aqueous solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) containing licorice roots extracts was used to prepare nanofibrous membrane as the active layers of the mask ( Figure 14 a ).…”