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

卫生保健提供者依赖口罩作为预防气雾剂传播疾病的关键要素，例如冠状病毒病2019年(新冠肺炎)。目前呼吸口罩严重短缺，导致医疗保健方案发生前所未有的变化，不仅不能在患者之间更换口罩，而且要在几个小时或几天内重复使用口罩，这违反了常见的医疗实践，并造成了患者交叉感染和人员感染的严重风险。需要快速有效的消毒方法，以便能够安全地重复使用口罩，以保护患者和卫生保健工作者。新的方案需要确保在不损害保护效力的情况下快速销毁病毒。本项目旨在设计一种新型的杀菌紫外光照射系统，利用涂覆纳米颗粒的发光二极管来最大化照射效率。将对纳米粒子增强型照射光源进行优化，以确保杀菌光剂量在曲面(如模制面具)上的分布更加均匀，从而提高处理速度，同时减少过量辐射造成的潜在损害。将调查对掩模材料的潜在辐射损害，同时将仔细监测掩模性能。该项目将产生一种新的纳米技术增强的紫外线消毒系统，同时还提供关于口罩的紫外线损害潜力以及辐射对防护效果的影响的迫切需要的科学数据。该项目将立即产生更广泛的影响，因为它与卫生保健从业者合作。这笔资金将支持对少数族裔、本科生和研究生进行应用纳米技术的培训。目前爆发的2019年冠状病毒病(新冠肺炎)导致医疗保健人员的呼吸防护装备严重短缺。对快速消毒面膜以安全重复使用的工艺的探索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也是如此。在技术上，将均匀的光剂量输送到面罩等曲面上，以最大限度地减少总辐射剂量和潜在的材料损害，同时节省时间和能源，仍然是一个挑战。该项目将使用连接到光纤上的纳米级、耐用的紫外线发光二极管，以优化紫外线剂量对非平坦表面的传输。从科学上讲，关于紫外线对口罩的损害以及对口罩捕捉效率的影响的信息很少。该项目将对掩模材料的紫外线辐射的性质进行化学表征，同时还将调查该材料的粒子收集效率的潜在变化。捕获效率和保护效率是一个纳米粒子问题(病毒粒子约为125 nm)，而不是简单的物理尺寸，因为粒子也会被静电相互作用捕获，在纳米尺度上尤其重要。在面罩和湿度、颗粒大小和潜在辐射引起的材料表面变化的影响的背景下，对后者的理解确实很少。该项目将有助于紫外线辐射技术的发展，对纳米颗粒捕获和颗粒过滤器相互作用的纳米级洞察。该项目将支持少数族裔、本科生和研究生的研究生培训，并通过与卫生保健从业者的直接合作产生直接影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.