New Face Mask Designed to Improve Comfort and Protection

New face mask is reusable and combines a barrier filtration material with a stretchable fabric to hold it in place and offer increased protection and comfort for a long usage.

Reusable face mask which is comfortable enough to wear all day was developed by researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology.

The research has been published in The Journal of the Textile Institute

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‘A novel face mask is perfectly designed to combine synthetic materials that offer perfect fit, comfort and enhanced protection. The mask can be resused multiple times without compromising its shape and fit.’
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Most of the existing reusable masks other than N95 respirators leak air around the edges, which bypasses the filtration mechanism. This allows large droplets, virus particles and other aerosols to enter the air the user breathes. It also allows particles from infected persons to escape and infect others.

The leakage problem also causes eyeglasses to fog up as exhaled breath leaks around the nose.

To overcome all these issues, the researchers created a two-part mask.

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It fastens behind the head like N95 respirators. The front part contains filtration material and is contoured to fit tightly while allowing sufficient space in front of the nose and the mouth to allow unrestricted speech.

It is made from material used in athletic clothing and offers filtration efficiency. The washable part is made of a blend of Spandex and polyester.

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The second part of the mask is made from stretchable material. It has holes for the ears to position the mask and hold the mask in place. It fastens the mask with the conventional hook and eyelet hardware.

The mask has been created with synthetic materials as cotton absorbs moisture making it less comfortable to breathe.

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The mask also includes an optional filter for increased protection.

The masks did not shrink, or lose their shape after washing twenty times.

The necessary materials to make the mask can be obtained from retail fabric stores.

The researchers began work 10 years ago to study face masks during the avian influenza outbreak.

"There is so much misinformation about what face masks can do and cannot do," Jayaraman said. "Being scientists and engineers, we want to put out information backed by science that can help our community reduce the harm from SARS-CoV-2."

Source-Medindia