TriboE Face Masks Developed by CeNS: Here's How It Can Protect Medics, at Frontline of COVID-19 Battle, From The Contagious Virus

New Delhi, April 19: In a bid to help healthcare professionals, who are the frontline workers in India's fight against coronavirus, a team of researchers at the Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences (CeNS) in Bangalore came up with a new type of face mask- the TriboE mask. This new type of face mask is believed to prevent medics from getting infected with the disease while treating COVID-19 patients. The TriboE face masks use electrostatics of materials to protect healthy individuals from the deadly infection. Researchers at the CeNS said that tests on these masks are being performed, particularly in the context of COVID-19. A press release by the government added that at this stage,the mask is, however, not recommended to healthcare professionals and patients. India's COVID-19 Tally Rises to 15,712, Death Toll Due to Coronavirus Jumps to 507.

Researchers of the CeNS, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have come up with a technique of making face masks, termed as TriboE Mask. These masks can hold electric charges to restrict the entry of infections but interestingly, without any external power. This innovatiomn by Dr. PralaySantra, Dr Ashutosh Singh, and Prof Giridhar U. Kulkarni relies on electrostatics. The researchers said the got the ideas from physics textbooks on tribo-electricity. The best part is the mask is inexpensive and doable by anyone.

How Does the TriboE Mask Work:

1. The mask works on electrostatics. TriboE masks have polypropylene layers on the outside and nylon layers in between. When the layers are rubbed against each other, static electricity is produced, which is expected to restrict the possible transmission of infections.
2. This means when two non-conducting layers are rubbed against each other, the layers develop positive and negative charges instantly and continue to hold the charges for some time.
3. They have used this electric field, quite strong at proximity, to deactivate or possibly even kill the germs.

Here's How the TriboE Mask is Made

1. The mask is three-layered –a layer of nylon cloth sandwiched between polypropylene layers, the latter sourced from commonly used non woven grocery bags.
2. In place of nylon, silk fabric from an old saree or shawl may also be cut and used. When layers are rubbed against each other, the outer layers develop negative charges, while nylon will hold the positive charges.
3. This will act as double electric wall protection against the infectious entities crossing. As the mask is made out of commonly available fabrics, it can be washed just like any other cloth and can be reused.

The face masks used by frontline healthcare professionals, which are of high technical quality, need special expertise for production. A simple face mask that can contain the spread of the virus is advised for the general public. However, homemade face masks are advised for healthy individuals rather than those meant for health workers as there is limited supply of the latter. If only the choice of the fabric can be made intelligently, the mask can serve the purpose more efficiently.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 19, 2020 04:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).