Since the outbreak, many international efforts have been taken to curb the spread of the virus, including the rapid development of vaccines, the implementation of social alienation measures, the progress of treatment methods and so on. However, the main deficiency during the pandemic was the failure to produce the required number of surgical masks worldwide.

This means that many people have to improvise or make their own masks in order to get involved in the public domain. In addition, the number of counterfeit N95 surgical masks and other PPE entering the supply chain has increased significantly, putting medical staff and the public at risk.

Novel coronavirus pneumonia can be protected by commercially available respirators: the filtration efficiency of non-woven medical masks is low, about 33%, while the N95 surgical mask is 95%.

The novel coronavirus pneumonia can be filtered out of 65 nm when particle size is below 300nm. Another disadvantage of commercially available masks is that they become less effective when wet and hinder breathing, thereby affecting air permeability.

Therefore, due to the potential virus transmitted through ultra-small droplets, air permeability problems, and the lack of effective PPE (including masks) to combat the epidemic, it is confirmed that more work must be done to develop masks to better protect health workers and the general public.

Therefore, the world is trying to use nano materials and nanostructures to design new masks with improved filtering and sensing capabilities. However, it must be noted that in the process of fighting the virus, it is still strongly recommended to wear masks sold on the market.

When considering the use of mask, it comes down to two factors: deep filter and membrane. Deep filtration uses sufficient thickness to capture unwanted particles or droplets in a single-layer or multi-layer mechanism. On the other hand, the membrane will capture containers larger than the membrane pore size.

In either case, adding functional nano materials with antiviral or hydrophobic properties can improve the effectiveness and service life of masks. Although most masks are only for one-time use, they are allowed to be reused due to the large demand. However, masks often lose their degree of protection with reuse.

The research team believes that the application of some nano materials to the production method of masks may have some effects on combating the epidemic. Nanotechnology can achieve safer, more durable, environmentally friendly, reusable and lower cost masks, which can be developed using simple manufacturing technology.

It is found that using nanofibers instead of microfibers has higher capture efficiency in the submicron range of 100-500 nm. However, pressure drop does occur, and the amplification cost of nanofibers is usually higher. Therefore, the team recommends that the combination of nanofibers and microfibers be used in mask production.

Using simple electrospinning technology, nanofibers and microfibers are combined to promote the use of functional filter materials for masks at a relatively low cost.

The use of nanomaterials, such as silica nanoparticles with excellent charge storage capacity, to charge fibers has shown the potential to improve filtration efficiency, in which both mechanical and electrostatic attraction mechanisms play a role.

Novel coronavirus pneumonia is also advocated by the team, using nanotechnology coatings to demonstrate the potential of inactivated new crown pneumonia virus.

These coatings also exhibit water repellent activity and show the potential for reuse through a new photothermal laser-induced coating, which can be quickly heated to 80 ° C in the sun, thus helping to eliminate viruses and disinfect masks for future use.

The elements used in these coatings include graphene, silver and titanium dioxide nanoparticles, all of which exhibit antiviral properties and can be easily applied to general-purpose masks.

In a review published in the journal nanotechnology, the researchers proved that nanotechnology has great potential in combating the current epidemic when used in masks.