Masks to filter air pollutant PM2.5 go high-tech
Local researchers have developed a "nanostructural paper" that can be used to make masks to filter air pollutant PM2.5, to protect people from air pollution.
Traditional masks usually use cotton cloth as filters, but these have large gaps in the fiber and are unable to filter the tiny PM2.5 particles. Users may even feel dizzy when wearing such masks due to poor breathability, the researchers said.
The new paper material was developed using "special nanowires" by a team led by Professor Zhu Yingjie, from the Shanghai Institute of Ceramics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Thanks to the nanowires’ special structures, the new material is said to be much stronger than traditional masks at filtering and blocking fine particles in the air, and at the same time can ensure users will breath comfortably.
The researchers claimed that more than 95 percent of PM2.5 can be filtered in different levels of air pollutions in tests. The research team is applying for a patent.
