1. Antiviral respiratory masks with plasma-functionalized polypropylene textiles for optimal adsorption of antiviral substanceMark Zver, David Dobnik, Rok Zaplotnik, Miran Mozetič, Alenka Vesel, Arijana Filipić, Polona Kogovšek, Katja Fric, Alja Štern, Gregor Primc, 2024, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: During the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks were the first line of defense against the spread of infection. However, infectious viruses may remain on medical textiles, potentially serving as an additional source of infection. Due to their chemical inertness, many textiles cannot be enhanced with antiviral functionalities. Through treatment with low-pressure gaseous plasma, we have activated the surface of a medical-grade melt-blown, non-woven polypropylene textile so that it can absorb sodium dodecyl sulfate, an antimicrobial surfactant. Within two hours of contact time, the functionalized textile has been able to inactivate over 7 log10 PFU mL−1 of bacteriophage phi6, a surrogate of enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, and it has retained its antiviral properties for over 100 days. The functionalized material has not disrupted facial mask filtration efficiency or breathability. In addition, the in vitro biocompatibility testing in accordance with ISO 10993-5 for testing of medical devices has demonstrated that the selected formulation causes no adverse effects on the mouse fibroblast cell line L-929. With the treatment processes that have been completed within seconds, the method seems to have great potential to produce antiviral textiles against future outbreaks. Ključne besede: surgical face masks, plasma functionalization, antiviral materials, virus filtration, breathability Objavljeno v DiRROS: 07.10.2024; Ogledov: 76; Prenosov: 328 Celotno besedilo (4,16 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
2. Assessment of different experimental setups to determineviral filtration efficiency of face masksArijana Filipić, Katja Fric, Maja Ravnikar, Polona Kogovšek, 2022, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Abstract
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many new materials and masks came onto the market. To determine their suitability, several standards specify which properties to test, including bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE), while none describe how to determine viral filtration efficiency (VFE), a property that is particularly important in times of pandemic. Therefore, we focused our research on evaluating the suitability and efficiency of different systems for determining VFE. Here, we evaluated the VFE of 6 mask types (e.g., a surgical mask, a respirator, material for mask production, and cloth masks) with different filtration efficiencies in four experimental setups and compared the results with BFE results. The study included 17 BFE and 22 VFE experiments with 73 and 81 mask samples tested, respectively. We have shown that the masks tested had high VFE (>99% for surgical masks and respirators, ≥98% for material, and 87–97% for cloth masks) and that all experimental setups provided highly reproducible and reliable VFE results (coefficient of variation < 6%). Therefore, the VFE tests described in this study can be integrated into existing standards for mask testing. Ključne besede: face masks, virus filtration efficiency, bacterial filtration efficiency, EN 14683:2019+AC:2019, air sampler Objavljeno v DiRROS: 17.07.2024; Ogledov: 270; Prenosov: 159 Celotno besedilo (1,17 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |
3. Single-layer and double-layer filtration materials based on polyvinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene nanofibers coated on melamine microfibersTilen Potisk, Maja Remškar, Luka Pirker, Gregor Filipič, Igor Mihelič, Marjan Ješelnik, Urban Čoko, Miha Ravnik, 2023, izvirni znanstveni članek Ključne besede: nanofibers, aerosols, filtration Objavljeno v DiRROS: 15.09.2023; Ogledov: 608; Prenosov: 316 Celotno besedilo (2,07 MB) Gradivo ima več datotek! Več... |