Due to a worldwide shortage of medical masks, especially the N95 ones, healthcare workers around the world have been caring for COVID-19 patients without adequate supplies, and reusing masks that were designed to be disposable. In a bid to come up with a quick and viable solution to this problem, a group of engineers in Saudi Arabia has come up with a design that may make N95 masks safe to reuse.
Researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have created a new membrane that can be added to the front of an N95 mask and then replaced while the rest of the mask is used repeatedly. The filter, which can be made either from polymer or paper, is covered with nano-sized holes that also make the mask more effective.
While N95 masks are effective in filtering out droplets of saliva when someone coughs or talks, they can’t fully filter out nano-particles that can contain the virus. The holes in the new membrane, however, are so small that these tiny particles can’t pass through. The material could also be modified with a hydrophobic coating that makes droplets slide off easily, so the tiny holes don’t become clogged.
Instead of using an N95 mask once, or attempting to sterilize it when it wasn’t designed to be sterilized, a doctor or nurse could replace the new filter on the front of the mask. It’s also more cost-effective, say the engineers. A one-time-use N95 mask might cost $5, while the membrane goes for only 50¢, meaning that the filter would allow for a mask to be used 10 times for the cost of two new N95s.
Currently, the team is working on validating the efficacy of the filters and work with manufacturers to quickly bring the new product to the market.
