School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China; Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117574, Singapore.
Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, 117574, Singapore; School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China.
Biomater Adv. 2023 Jun;149:213390. doi: 10.1016/j.bioadv.2023.213390. Epub 2023 Mar 18.
The development of fascinating materials with functional properties has revolutionized the humankind with materials comfort, stopped the spreading of diseases, relieving the environmental pollution pressure, economized government research funds, and prolonged their serving life. The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has triggered great global public health concern. Face masks are crucial tools to impede the spreading of SARS-CoV-2 from human to human. However, current face masks exhibit in a variety of colors (opaque), like blue, black, red, etc., leading to a communication barrier between the doctor and the deaf-mute patient when wearing a mask. High optical transparency filters can be utilized for both personal protection and lip-reading. Thus, shaping face air filter into a transparent appearance is an urgent need. Electrospinning technology, as a mature technology, is commonly used to form nanofiber materials utilizing high electrical voltage. With the alteration of the diameters of nanofibers, and proper material selection, it would be possible to make the transparent face mask. In this article, the research progress in the transparent face air filter is reviewed with emphasis on three parts: mechanism of the electrospinning process and light transmission, preparation of transparent face air filter, and their innovative potential. Through the assessment of classic cases, the benefits and drawbacks of various preparation strategies and products are evaluated, to provide general knowledge for the needs of different application scenarios. In the end, the development directions of transparent face masks in protective gear, particularly their novel functional applications and potential contributions in the prevention and control of the epidemic are also proposed.
具有功能特性的迷人材料的发展使人类享受到了材料带来的舒适，阻止了疾病的传播，缓解了环境污染压力，节约了政府研究资金，并延长了其使用寿命。由严重急性呼吸系统综合症冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）引起的 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的爆发引起了全球公众的极大关注。口罩是阻止 SARS-CoV-2 从人与人之间传播的重要工具。然而，目前的口罩呈现出各种颜色（不透明），如蓝色、黑色、红色等，导致医生和聋哑患者在戴口罩时存在沟通障碍。高透光率过滤器可同时用于个人防护和唇读。因此，将面部空气过滤器塑造成透明外观是当务之急。静电纺丝技术作为一种成熟的技术，通常用于利用高电压形成纳米纤维材料。通过改变纳米纤维的直径和适当的材料选择，可以制造出透明的口罩。本文重点综述了透明面部空气过滤器的研究进展，主要包括三个部分：静电纺丝过程和光传输的机理、透明面部空气过滤器的制备以及它们的创新潜力。通过对典型案例的评估，对各种制备策略和产品的优缺点进行了评价，为不同应用场景的需求提供了一般知识。最后，还提出了透明口罩在防护装备中的发展方向，特别是它们在疫情防控中的新型功能应用和潜在贡献。
