【PLASTICSTODAY】These
Transparent Face Masks Will Put a Smile on Your Face
by: Norbert Sparrow, June 11,
2020
You
may not like it, but the fact of the matter is that face masks will be with us
for a while. While they play an essential role in preventing the spread of
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, the masks hide about half of our
face, creating an obstacle to communication. We’ve all experienced difficulties
making ourselves understood at the store, for example. It’s far worse for
certain segments of society, notably children, senior citizens, and people with
hearing impairments. Moreover, the masks neutralize some of our core non-verbal
means of communication, such as the simple smile. To remedy this, researchers at
Switzerland’s Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and the Swiss
materials science center Empa are developing a completely transparent surgical
mask.
The
transparent masks are composed of polymer fibers spaced 100 nm apart, which is
small enough to filter out viruses and bacteria but large enough to let air
through. Image courtesy EPFL.
Work
has been underway for two years, but the appearance of COVID-19 proved to be an
accelerant for the research and its ultimate commercial application: The Swiss
startup HMCare, which will market the transparent masks, recently completed a 1
million Swiss franc ($1.05 million) fundraising round. “We could have raised
more,” said HMCare CEO Thierry Pelet, “but we don’t need the extra money right
now.” The company is currently developing an industrial process to manufacture
the masks at scale and plans to bring the so-called HelloMasks to market in
early 2021.
Although
partly transparent masks currently exist, they tend to be conventional masks
with a jury-rigged clear plastic window, which makes it hard to breathe and
often fogs up. EPFL and Empa researchers spent two years searching for the
right combination of transparency, resistance, and porosity, and eventually
came up with a membrane made from a polymer developed specifically for this
application. The polymer fibers are spaced just 100 nm apart, which is the same
spacing used in conventional masks. That is small enough to filter out viruses
and bacteria but large enough to let air through, according to a news release
published on the EPFL website. In the interests of sustainability, the masks
initially will be made from a biomass derivative that constitutes 99% of the
material used. HMCare said that it will continue working on the composition of
the masks until they are fully eco-friendly.
The
material is produced by means of electrospinning. Initially, the researchers
planned to have the masks cut from the spools of electrospun material and
assembled in Asia, but they are now considering keeping production in
Switzerland. A number of companies, including HMCare, are planning to build
surgical-mask plants domestically.
The
idea for a transparent face mask originated with Klaus Schönenberger, the head
of EPFL’s EssentialTech Center, which is dedicated to helping transfer modern
technology to developing countries. Schönenberger was working in western Africa
during the 2015 Ebola outbreak where nurses, covered from head to toe in
protective gear, had pinned photos of themselves on their chests so that
patients could see their faces. "It was touching," he said. When
Schönenberger was approached by Pelet and a project manager at EPFL’s School of
Life Sciences with an initial design for a transparent mask, he recalled that
experience and immediately embraced the project.
The
HelloMasks first will be sold to medical personnel, said Pelet, but could
eventually be marketed to ordinary consumers. Market launch is projected for
early 2021.
This
article is cited from:https://reurl.cc/O1ggaR