Fiber-in-Tube Electrifiable Structure for Virus Filtration Self-Generated Static Electricity by Vibration/Sound

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Traditional fibrous materials for virus insulation suffer from electrostatic attenuation and performance decline.
• This limits their reusability and suitability for critical medical applications, leading to resource waste and pollution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a robust and reusable fibrous membrane for enhanced virus insulation.
• To overcome the limitations of electrostatic attenuation and filtration performance decline in existing materials.

Main Methods:

• Constructed a novel fiber-in-tube structure utilizing piezoelectricity and triboelectricity for persistent static electricity generation.
• Tested the insulation efficiency of the developed membrane under humidity and heat aging conditions.
• Evaluated the breathing resistance of a mask fabricated with the new fiber.

Main Results:

• The fiber-in-tube membrane achieved 98% PM0.3 insulation efficiency, even after 72 hours of aging.
• This represents a significant improvement over traditional nonwoven fabrics (∼10% insulation).
• A mask made with this fiber exhibited low breathing resistance (<24.4 Pa/cm2).

Conclusions:

• The fiber-in-tube structure enables robust reusability and durable high protective performance for filtration membranes.
• This approach offers a sustainable solution for medical protective equipment, reducing replacement needs.
• The developed multifunctional fiber provides a new pathway for high-performance protective product development.