COLLABORATION
BASF has joined hands with Vadodara based membrane manufacturer, Permionics Membranes, to extend for the first time the application of BASF’s Ultrason E polyethersulphone (PESU) polymer into coated fabrics that serve as particulate and bacterial filter for face masks. The face masks using the fabric as a middle layer are highly breathable, washable and re-usable unlike conventional face masks. They are designed for the usage in the Indian healthcare market. Permionics selected Ultrason E for its coated fabric, Perma Bioshield. The fabric is made by adhering an antimicrobial coating made of Ultrason E to the matrix of a non-woven fabric as a bonded support. Ultrason E is a high purity material with low gel and oligomer content that ensures a stable membrane manufacturing process. PESU can be used in a wide pH range (0-13) without deterioration It is especially suitable for the production of durable hollow-fibre membranes and fi lters for use in the food, beverage, electronics and pharmaceutical industries.
“In the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for developing and manufacturing high-efficiency particulate and bacterial filters for face masks has become a priority across the world. Ultrason E turns out to be an ideal choice for the coating of
Perma Bioshield as the material allows for a better narrow pore size control and a good adhesion to non-woven fabrics. These are two features which are key to the removal of bacteria, dust and pollution,” said Mr. Satyajai Mayor,
Managing Director, Permionics. Currently, the Perma Bioshield is used in several types of face masks in India, manufactured by a leading healthcare company. Apart from use in face masks, Perma Bioshield is also an ideal filter for breathable medical gowns and clothing used in hospitality and airline
industries, high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter replacements, as well
as antimicrobial and dust-proof blinds or screens.
Scientists develop self-disinfecting, biodegradable face masks
A team of Indian scientists in collaboration with an industry partner
have developed a self-disinfecting copper-based nano particle-coated antiviral
face mask to fi ght COVID-19. The mask exhibits high performance against
the COVID-19 virus as well as several other viral and bacterial infections, is
biodegradable, highly breathable and washable. While the science around the use of masks to impede transmission is advancing rapidly, the Indian market
is selling expensive masks that neither exhibit anti-viral nor anti-bacterial
properties. To this end, scientists at International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), an autonomous R&D
Centre of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, in collaboration with the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CSIRCCMB) and Resil Chemicals, a Bengaluru-based company have developed the high performance mask. ARCI developed copper-based nanoparticles of around 20-nm by Flame Spray Pyrolysis (FSP), which involves conversion of solution precursors into nano powders by high temperature pyrolytic decomposition. A stable nano particle suspension was obtained by optimising the solid loading and pH, and a uniform layer of this nano-coating on cotton fabric was achieved
using a suitable binder. The coated fabric exhibited an efficacy of more than
99.9% against bacteria. CSIR-CCMB tested the efficacy of this fabric against
SARS-CoV-2 for their disinfection properties and reported 99.9% disinfection. Prototype masks having different designs, such as single layer and triple layers with nano particle coated fabric as outer layer have been demonstrated.
A single layer mask is especially useful as a protective antiviral outer mask
over a regular mask. Resil Chemicals is now producing such double layer masks on large scale.
