Copper Nanoparticles Impregnation in anti-Coronavirus Covid'19 Disposable Protective Masks

After two pandemics in less than a decade, it is dear that the fight against microbes is failing, and one of the reasons is the inefficacy of disposable protective masks. This project intends to evaluate the possibility of the impregnation of copper particles as an active element to eliminate viruses and bacteria, which in contact with cotton conventional masks have a survival rate of up to 72 h. In contact with copper particles, those microorganisms survive, approximately, for 1 h. Therefore, the main objective of this work was to evaluate a production process of impregnation of copper particles in nonwoven fabric (TNT). To do so, we isolated copper particles from copper sulfate solution with constant heating, simultaneously impregnating pieces of TNT cut from commercial disposable protective masks. We performed SEM and EDS analysis to evaluate the impregnation and particle sizes. Visually, the pieces were partially impregnated which was confirmed by the SEM images where one can see only some fibers covered by the particles. Also, it is possible to notice that the size of the particles was at microscale with some agglomeration. The EDS confirmed 1.1% by mass of copper particles in the sample. The procedure was easy to follow and at a low-cost being, therefore, possible to be implemented after some parameter adjustments.

Automated summary

This project aims to evaluate the production process of impregnating copper particles into nonwoven fabric to enhance the sterilization effect of disposable protective masks. Through experimental analysis, we found that copper particles can significantly reduce the survival time of viruses and bacteria on masks, showing potential for application.