Air-Filtering Masks for Respiratory Protection from PM2.5 and Pandemic Pathogens

Jinwei Xu; Xin Xiao; Wenbo Zhang; Rong Xu; Sang Cheol Kim; Yi Cui; Tyler T Howard; Esther Wu; Yi Cui

doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2020.10.014

Air-Filtering Masks for Respiratory Protection from PM_2.5 and Pandemic Pathogens

One Earth. 2020 Nov 20;3(5):574-589. doi: 10.1016/j.oneear.2020.10.014.

Authors

Jinwei Xu¹, Xin Xiao¹, Wenbo Zhang¹, Rong Xu¹, Sang Cheol Kim¹, Yi Cui¹, Tyler T Howard¹, Esther Wu¹, Yi Cui^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
² Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA.

Abstract

Air-filtering masks, also known as respirators, protect wearers from inhaling fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) in polluted air, as well as airborne pathogens during a pandemic, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Fibrous medium, used as the filtration layer, is the most essential component of an air-filtering mask. This article presents an overview of the development of fibrous media for air filtration. We first synthesize the literature on several key factors that affect the filtration performance of fibrous media. We then concentrate on two major techniques for fabricating fibrous media, namely, meltblown and electrospinning. In addition, we underscore the importance of electret filters by reviewing various methods for imparting electrostatic charge on fibrous media. Finally, this article concludes with a perspective on the emerging research opportunities amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Keywords: PM2.5; air filtration; air pollution; electrospinning; mask; meltblown; pandemic; respirator.

Publication types

Review