Saving 80% Polypropylene in Facemasks by Laser-Assisted Melt-Blown Nanofibers.
Nano Lett
; 22(17): 7212-7219, 2022 09 14.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2016526
ABSTRACT
The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic requires enormous production of facemasks and related personal protection materials, thereby increasing the amount of nondegradable plastic waste. The core material for facemasks is melt-blown polypropylene (PP) fiber. Each disposable facemask consumes â¼0.7 g of PP fibers, resulting in annual global consumption and disposal of more than 1â¯150â¯000 tons of PP fibers annually. Herein, we developed a laser-assisted melt-blown (LAMB) technique to manufacture PP nanofibers with a quality factor of 0.17 Pa-1 and significantly reduced the filter's weight. We demonstrated that a standard surgical facemask could be made with only 0.13 g of PP nanofibers, saving approximately 80% of the PP materials used in commercial facemasks. Theoretical analysis and modeling were also conducted to understand the LAMB process. Importantly, nanofibers can be easily scaled up for mass production by upgrading traditional melt blown line with scanning laser-assisted melt-blown (SLAMB).
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Nanofibers
/
COVID-19
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Nano Lett
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Acs.nanolett.2c02693
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