RAPID: Disinfection and Reuse of Health-Care Worker Facial Masks to Prevent Infection coronavirus disease

RAPID：对医护人员口罩进行消毒和重复使用，以预防感染冠状病毒

• 批准号: 2028074
• 负责人: Paul Westerhoff
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Arizona State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-05-01 至 2021-10-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2028074&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RAPID; Disinfection; Reuse; Health; Care

Health care providers rely upon facial masks as a key element in protection against aerosol transmitted diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). There is currently a severe shortage of respiratory masks leading to unprecedented changes in healthcare protocols, to not only not change masks between patients but reuse masks over several hours or days, against common medical practice and creating serious risks of cross-contamination of patients and infection of personnel. Fast and effective sanitizing methods are needed to allow for the safe reuse of masks to protect patients and health care workers alike. The novel protocols need to assure rapid destruction of the virus while not compromising the protection efficacy. This project aims at designing a novel germicidal ultraviolet light irradiation system using light emitting diodes coated with nanoparticles to maximize the irradiation efficiency. Nanoparticles enhanced irradiation sources will be optimized to assure a more equal distribution of the germicidal light dose across curved surfaces (such as molded masks), increasing the process speed, while decreasing the potential damage by excess radiation. Potential radiation damage to mask material will be investigated while mask performance will be carefully monitored. The project will yield a novel nanotechnology enhanced ultraviolet disinfection system, while also providing critically needed scientific data on ultraviolet damage potential of masks in general and impacts of irradiation on protection efficacy. The project will make immediate broader impacts as it partners with health care practitioners. The funding will support the training of minority, undergraduate and graduate students in applied nanotechnology.The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has led to a severe shortage in respiratory protective equipment for health care providers. The quest for processes to rapidly sanitize facial masks for safe reuse revealed some scientific knowledge gaps and technological challenges, even for common processes such as Ultraviolet Light irradiation. Technologically, delivering uniform light dosages to curved surfaces such as masks, to minimize total radiation dose and potential material damage while saving time and energy remains a challenge. This project will use nano-enabled, durable ultraviolet -light emitting diodes connected to optical fibers to optimize delivery of ultraviolet doses to non-flat surfaces. Scientifically, little information exists on ultraviolet damage to facial masks and the impact on the capture efficiency of the masks. This project will characterize chemically the nature of the ultraviolet radiation to the mask materials while also investigating potential changes to particle collection efficiency of the material. The capture efficiency and hence protection efficacy is a nanoparticle issue (virions are ~125 nm), beyond simple physical size as particles will also be trapped by electrostatic interactions, particularly important at nanoscale. The latter is really poorly understood in the context of facial masks and impact of humidity, particle size and potential radiation induced material surface changes. This project will contribute to ultraviolet radiation technology development, nanoscale insights on nanoparticle trapping and particle filter interactions. The project will support minority, undergraduate and student graduate training and have immediate impacts by direct collaboration with health care practitioners.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

卫生保健提供者依赖口罩作为预防气溶胶传播疾病（如2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19））的关键要素。目前呼吸面罩严重短缺，导致医疗保健方案发生前所未有的变化，不仅患者之间不更换面罩，而且在几个小时或几天内重复使用面罩，这违反了常见的医疗实践，并造成了患者交叉污染和人员感染的严重风险。需要快速有效的消毒方法来安全重复使用口罩，以保护患者和医护人员。新的方案需要确保病毒的快速破坏，同时不损害保护效力。本计画旨在设计一种新颖的紫外线杀菌照射系统，使用包覆有奈米粒子的发光二极体，以最大化照射效率。纳米粒子增强的辐射源将被优化，以确保杀菌光剂量在弯曲表面（如模制口罩）上的更均匀分布，提高处理速度，同时减少过量辐射的潜在损害。将调查对面罩材料的潜在辐射损伤，同时将仔细监测面罩性能。该项目将产生一种新型的纳米技术增强紫外线消毒系统，同时还提供关于一般口罩的紫外线损伤潜力和辐射对防护功效的影响的急需的科学数据。该项目将立即产生更广泛的影响，因为它与卫生保健从业人员合作。该资金将支持少数民族、本科生和研究生在应用纳米技术方面的培训。目前的2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）爆发导致医疗保健提供者的呼吸防护设备严重短缺。寻求快速消毒面罩以安全重复使用的工艺揭示了一些科学知识差距和技术挑战，即使是紫外线照射等常见工艺。从技术上讲，向曲面（如掩模）提供均匀的光剂量，以最大限度地减少总辐射剂量和潜在的材料损伤，同时节省时间和能源仍然是一个挑战。该项目将使用纳米功能，耐用的紫外线发光二极管连接到光纤，以优化紫外线剂量传递到非平坦表面。从科学上讲，关于紫外线对口罩的损害以及对口罩捕获效率的影响的信息很少。该项目将从化学上表征掩模材料的紫外线辐射性质，同时还将研究材料颗粒收集效率的潜在变化。捕获效率和因此的保护功效是纳米颗粒问题（病毒粒子为~125 nm），超出简单的物理尺寸，因为颗粒也将被静电相互作用捕获，在纳米级特别重要。后者在面膜和湿度、颗粒大小和潜在辐射诱导材料表面变化的影响方面确实知之甚少。该项目将有助于紫外线辐射技术的发展，纳米粒子捕获和粒子过滤器的相互作用的纳米见解。该项目将支持少数民族，本科生和研究生的培训，并通过与医疗保健从业人员的直接合作产生直接影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

项目成果

Germicidal Ultraviolet Light Does Not Damage or Impede Performance of N95 Masks Upon Multiple Uses

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.estlett.0c00416
• 发表时间: 2020-08-11
• 期刊: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
• 影响因子: 10.9
• 作者: Zhao, Zhe;Zhang, Zhaobo;Westerhoff, Paul
• 通讯作者: Westerhoff, Paul