Comfortable Face Mask for Long-Term Wear

项目摘要 虽然空气净化器（APR）可以防止天然气中有害颗粒物的传播， 野火等自然灾害或COVID-19等流行病，行业标准的APR可导致接触性皮炎， 长时间佩戴后的不适和瘀伤;视觉交流障碍，严重的环境影响 浪费，并且在许多类型的常用面罩中，提供不充分的或未知的过滤。当阿普- 追求N95过滤面罩呼吸器（N95 FFR）的私人佩戴，长期佩戴可能导致疼痛的瘀伤 皮肤，使他们不适合长期职业使用。这个NIH R21项目提出了开发- 一种新型的个人呼吸保护装置，称为智能，个性化，近脸，前， 戴上（SINEW）口罩。所提出的设计使用静电过滤器，以克服许多障碍， 传统的口罩，同时提供高度的保护。使用N95 FFR显著增加呼吸 阻力，这对于执行体力要求高的任务的工人来说是有问题的。为了避免呼吸急促- 创新的设计消除了气流中的颗粒，而面罩不会接触空气。 与佩戴者脸部皮肤的接触相反，它使用一个舒适的头带，以保持面具的地方。过滤 动作沿面罩的整个周边沿着发生，距离面部表面3至10 mm。颗粒和 存在于空气中的液滴通过静电力被去除。虽然这一原则在工业上很常见， 静电除尘器（ESP），是在暖通空调设备，可穿戴过滤器的脸使用静电 沉淀是一种新的方法，只有通过最近的电力电子设备的小型化和 材料科学，特别是催化涂层。气流阻力可以忽略不计，因为 设计特点-口罩和面部之间的差距让空气自由通过，同时去除有害物质 在吸气和呼气循环中的颗粒。这一特点对锻炼和 有健康状况的工人的舒适呼吸（例如，哮喘），这将阻止他们使用 传统FFR。该设计的其他优点包括一个清晰的面罩，可以让人们阅读嘴唇 以及佩戴者的面部表情SINEW面罩可灭菌且可重复使用，因此不会导致 不断升级的全球一次性口罩浪费问题。最近的COVID-19大流行表明， 不舒适的面罩导致使用减少。SINEW口罩可以改善消防员的长期健康状况， 卫生保健工作者和任何需要舒适、可消毒、可重复使用的保护以防止有害物质的工作者。 颗粒物

PROJECT SUMMARY Although air-purifying respirators (APRs) protect against the spread of harmful particulate matter from nat- ural disasters like wildfires or pandemics like COVID-19, industry-standard APRs can cause contact dermatitis, discomfort, and bruising after prolonged wear; obstruction of visual communication, significant environmental waste, and, in many types of commonly used masks, provide insufficient or unknown filtration. When the appro- priate fit of an N95 filtering facepiece respirator (N95 FFR) is pursued, long-term wear can cause painful bruising of the skin, making them unsuitable for long-term occupational use. This NIH R21 project proposes the develop- ment of a new type of personal respiratory protection device called the Smart, Individualized, Near-face, Ex- tended Wear (SINEW) Mask. The proposed design uses electrostatic filters to overcome many of the barriers of traditional masks while providing a high degree of protection. Using an N95 FFR significantly increases breathing resistance which is problematic for workers performing physically demanding tasks. To avoid increasing breath- ing resistance, the innovative design removes particles from airflow, while the mask does not come in contact with the skin of the wearer’s face. Instead, it uses a comfortable headband to keep the mask in place. The filtering action takes place along the entire perimeter of the mask, 3 to 10 mm from the face surface. Particles and droplets present in the air are removed with electrostatic forces. While this principle is common for industrial electrostatic precipitators (ESP) and is in HVAC equipment, a wearable filter for the face using electrostatic precipitation is a novel approach, enabled only by recent miniaturization of power electronics and advances in material science, specifically in catalytic coatings. Resistance to airflow is negligible because of the fundamental feature of the design – the gap between the mask and the face lets air through freely while removing the harmful particles in both the inhalation and the exhalation cycles. This feature is very important for exercise and for comfortable breathing by workers with health conditions (e.g., asthma) that would prevent them from using a traditional FFR. Other advantages of the design include a clear face shield, which allows people to read the lips and facial expressions of the wearer. The SINEW Mask is sterilizable and reusable, so it does not contribute to the escalating global waste problem of disposable masks. The recent COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that uncomfortable masks lead to reduced usage. SINEW Masks can improve the long-term health of firefighters, healthcare workers, and any worker who needs comfortable, sterilizable, reusable protection against harmful particulate matter.