Viral-filtering nanofibre face protection

病毒过滤纳米纤维面部防护

• 批准号: 57034
• 金额: $ 6.07万
• 依托单位: NANOLAYR UK LIMITED
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Feasibility Studies
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=57034
• 关键词: Viral; filtering; nanofibre; face; protection

We aim to develop a filter material that is effective at stopping very small particles, smaller than the COV19 virus (60nm) and thus effectively stop virus transmission. This filter material will be integrated in masks for the general public, to help with a safe return to work and will be certified for viral filtration efficiency independently.The UK economy is forecast to shrink 35%, with 2 million jobs lost. Until immunisation becomes available nation-wide (and worldwide), there is a significant risk of major disruption and the UK cannot afford a return to lockdown. Face masks are the new norm, but, apart from the high-end medical N95 respirators, no other filters are rated to stop viruses effectively. The supply of high-end respirators must be prioritised for frontline medical staff.Our solution is to manufacture filters using polymer nanofibres made from a biocompatible material, filters which are highly-breathable, flexible and can be used as inserts into textile, simple face masks. This will increase the protection of cloth masks (even home-made ones) significantly, with the efficiency then being ruled by the tightness of the fit around the filter/face. The polymer nanofibres will also use static electricity to trap even the smallest of nanoparticles, and may be of further use in areas of high pollution or for people with chronic respiratory problems.Nanofibres are produced using a high electric field to pull a fibre out of a droplet of solution on the end of a needle (a process called electrospinning), a very slow process that would make filters for ~3 masks/day. Due to electrostatic shielding, bringing more needles to bear is not a linear process, requiring higher and more unsafe voltages, and limiting the choice of polymers that can be used (eg. no flammable solvents). Our innovation is a modular solution that increases deposition rates by 1000 - 10000 times per module.In this project, we will develop the prototype filter material, validate it independently for viral filtration and move to trial production, followed by large-area pilot production.

我们的目标是开发一种过滤材料，可以有效阻止非常小的颗粒，小于COV 19病毒（60 nm），从而有效阻止病毒传播。这种过滤材料将被集成到普通公众的口罩中，以帮助安全返回工作岗位，并将独立获得病毒过滤效率认证。英国经济预计将萎缩35%，失去200万个工作岗位。在全国（和全球）范围内实现免疫接种之前，存在重大中断的重大风险，英国无法恢复封锁。口罩是新的标准，但是，除了高端医疗N95过滤器，没有其他过滤器被评为有效阻止病毒。必须优先为一线医务人员提供高端呼吸器。我们的解决方案是使用由生物相容性材料制成的聚合物纳米纤维制造过滤器，这些过滤器具有高度透气性、柔性，可用作纺织品的插入物，简单的口罩。这将显著增加布口罩（即使是自制的）的保护，效率则由过滤器/面部周围的紧密度决定。这种聚合物纳米纤维还可以利用静电来捕获最小的纳米颗粒，并可能进一步用于高污染地区或患有慢性呼吸系统疾病的人。纳米纤维是通过高电场将纤维从针头末端的一滴溶液中拉出（称为静电纺丝）来生产的，这是一个非常缓慢的过程，可以制造每天约3个口罩的过滤器。由于静电屏蔽，使更多的针承担不是一个线性过程，需要更高和更不安全的电压，并限制了可以使用的聚合物的选择（例如，无易燃溶剂）。我们的创新是一种模块化解决方案，每个模块的沉积速率可提高1000 - 10000倍。在该项目中，我们将开发原型过滤材料，独立验证其用于病毒过滤，并进入试生产，然后进行大面积试生产。