N95 Masks' Efficiency Can Be Restored With Electricity

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, now entering its seventh month, a simple piece of personal protective equipment has been in short supply: N95 masks.

N95 and other medical-grade masks rely on two filtration methods: mechanical filtering by mask fibers, and electrostatic filtering, in which stationary electric charges attract and ensnare tiny 0.3-micron particles such fluid droplets containing viruses. The masks are specified for single-use only because even after a day, the electrostatic charges in the mask leak out into the air and the mask becomes less effective at filtering out particles. That gradual loss of efficiency is even worse in countries like India where high humidity speeds the loss of static charge to the air.

In a paper published this week in the journal Physics of Fluids, researchers showed that decontaminated N95 masks can be rejuvenated to have off-the-shelf filtration levels with a jolt of electricity that restores electrostatic charges. The team also made a prototype, battery-powered, smart mask with a removable filter that can be continuously charged to maintain high levels of filtration even after hours of use.

Read more at IEEE Spectrum

Image Credit: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

-jk-