2021/03/08 by Christopher D. Zangmeister, James G. Radney, Matthew E. Staymates +2 · 1 voice
Medicine · Engineering · #Infection Control and Ventilation #Aerosol Filtration and Electrostatic Precipitation #Evacuation and Crowd Dynamics
paper · doi:10.1021/acsanm.0c03319
openalex publication_date 2021/03/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Under high humidity conditions that mimic respiration, the filtration efficiency (FE) of hydrophilic fabrics increases when challenged with hygroscopic nanoparticles, for example, respiratory droplets containing SARS-CoV-2. The FE and differential pressure (Δ P ) of natural, synthetic, and blended fabrics were measured as a function of relative humidity (RH) for particles with mobility diameters between 50 and 825 nm. Fabrics were equilibrated at 99% RH, mimicking conditions experienced when worn as a face mask. The FE increased after equilibration at 99% RH by a relative percentage of 33 ± 12% for fabrics composed of two layers of 100% cotton when challenged by 303 nm-mobility-diameter NaCl aerosol. The FE for samples of synthetics and polyester/cotton blends was unchanged upon equilibration at 99% RH. Increases in FE for 100% cotton fabrics were a function of particle size with a relative increase of 63% at the largest measured particle size (825 nm). The experimental results are consistent with increased particle capture due to H 2 O uptake and growth as the particles traverse the fabric.