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Anyone who has rubbed a balloon against their hair has felt the power of static electricity, or triboelectric power as it is also called. Now, a group of Swedish researchers wants to use that effect to make face masks that more effectively absorb droplets, particles and aerosols that can carry viruses.
“Our respiratory protection, which is based on cellulose material with triboelectric properties, makes it easier to breathe than with current respiratory protection. The good news is that the breath itself is what activates the triboelectric filtration. The goal is to develop a new type of respiratory protection to reduce the spread of viruses, similar to sars-cov-2, “says Christina Dahlström, Senior Lecturer and Project Director at Mid Sweden University in a press release.
Together with researchers from Uppsala University, he has received a Vinnova grant to conduct a six-month pilot study. So far the project is at an initial testing level. One of the traces that are being investigated is the production of membranes from renewable cellulosic material, which can be treated with disinfectants.
“We will compare the efficiency of cellulosic materials developed with some common synthetic polymer alternatives. In the long term, the use of renewable cellulose, rather than fossil-based materials, would be very beneficial in terms of national self-sufficiency, costs and waste management. It is also fully in line with various goals on the UN agenda for sustainable development, ”says Christina Dahlström.
