Comfortable Face Mask for Long-Term Wear

项目总结 尽管空气净化呼吸器(APR)可以防止有害颗粒物从NAT和NAT中扩散. 像野火这样的乌拉尔灾难或像新冠肺炎这样的大流行，行业标准的APRS可以引起接触性皮炎， 长期佩戴后的不适和瘀伤；视觉交流障碍，严重的环境 废物，在许多类型的常用口罩中，提供的过滤不足或未知。当合适的时候- 要求佩戴N95过滤面罩(N95 FFR)，长期佩戴会导致痛苦的瘀伤 对皮肤造成伤害，不适合长期职业使用。这项NIH R21项目提出了开发- 推出了一种新型的个人呼吸防护装置，名为智能、个性化、近脸、防爆 佩戴(肌腱)面具。建议的设计使用静电过滤器来克服许多障碍 传统口罩，同时提供高度保护。使用N95 FFR可显著增加呼吸 阻力，这对执行体力要求高的任务的工人来说是个问题。为了避免增加呼吸- 在阻力方面，这种创新的设计可以去除气流中的颗粒，同时面罩不会接触到 与佩戴者的脸部皮肤。取而代之的是，它使用了一个舒适的头带来固定面具。过滤 操作沿面罩的整个周长进行，距离面表面3至10 mm。粒子和 空气中存在的液滴在静电力的作用下被清除。虽然这一原则在工业领域是很常见的 静电除尘器(ESP)是暖通空调设备中的一种可穿戴式滤清器，用于面部使用静电 沉淀法是一种新的方法，只有在最近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-口罩与脸部之间的缝隙让空气自由通过，同时清除有害的 吸入和呼气循环中的颗粒。此功能对于锻炼和 有健康状况(如哮喘)的工作人员舒适的呼吸会阻止他们使用 传统的FFR。该设计的其他优点包括一个清晰的面罩，允许人们阅读嘴唇 以及佩戴者的面部表情。肌腱面膜是可消毒和可重复使用的，因此它不会对 不断升级的全球一次性口罩浪费问题。最近的新冠肺炎大流行证明 不舒服的口罩会导致使用量减少。肌腱口罩可以改善消防员的长期健康， 医护人员，以及任何需要舒适、可消毒、可重复使用的有害防护的工作人员 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.