Masks, protective clothing and filters are used to slow the spread of viruses. But poor-quality masks can harbor active viruses from infected people, which poses a risk of transmission.

"Absorption and inactivation is a major challenge," said Vikram Gopal,M.D., co-lead co-author and chief technology officer at Ascend Performance Materials. "Respiratory viral diseases, such as COVID-19 and influenza, are transmitted by droplets and aerosols. Polypropylene, the material of commonly used disposable masks, is a hydrophobic plastic that does not absorb moisture. Instead, viruses can remain on the surface of the mask, which poses a risk of transmission when handling the mask. »

Cotton is also a problem, according to Dr. Gopal. "Cotton effectively absorbs moisture, but it does not render the virus inactive, which again poses a risk of transmission," he said.

In the paper published in the journal ACS Applied Materials Interfaces,the researchers described how a nylon 6-6 fabric impregnated with active zinc ions absorbs moisture droplets containing viruses and effectively inactivates the particles. The tissue allowed a reduction of 2 logs, or 99%, of viral particles in one hour.

The research team was also able to demonstrate that nylon containing active zinc ions remains stable over time, retaining its virus-inactivating properties after 50 washes.

"The study shows how nylon textile with zinc performs better than widely used cotton and polypropylene materials for virus absorption and inactivation," said Dr. Gopal.

The findings have a significant impact on the future development of PPE, Dr. Gopal said.

"Pathogen-free PPE doesn't just reduce the risk of transmission of the virus," Gopal said. "By making PPE washable and reusable, you reduce the need for single-use products, preventing hundreds of millions of masks from being thrown away."