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Review
. 2022 Mar 23;14(7):1296.
doi: 10.3390/polym14071296.

Face Masks to Combat Coronavirus (COVID-19)-Processing, Roles, Requirements, Efficacy, Risk and Sustainability

Md Zillur Rahman  1 , Md Enamul Hoque  2 , Md Rubel Alam  3 , Md Abdur Rouf  3 , Saiful Islam Khan  2 , Huaizhong Xu  4 , Seeram Ramakrishna  5
Affiliations
Review

Face Masks to Combat Coronavirus (COVID-19)-Processing, Roles, Requirements, Efficacy, Risk and Sustainability

Md Zillur Rahman et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

Increasingly prevalent respiratory infectious diseases (e.g., COVID-19) have posed severe threats to public health. Viruses including coronavirus, influenza, and so on can cause respiratory infections. A pandemic may potentially emerge owing to the worldwide spread of the virus through persistent human-to-human transmission. However, transmission pathways may vary; respiratory droplets or airborne virus-carrying particles can have a key role in transmitting infections to humans. In conjunction with social distancing, hand cleanliness, and other preventative measures, the use of face masks is considered to be another scientific approach to combat ubiquitous coronavirus. Different types of face masks are produced using a range of materials (e.g., polypropylene, polyacrylonitrile, polycarbonate, polyurethane, polystyrene, polyester and polyethylene) and manufacturing techniques (woven, knitted, and non-woven) that provide different levels of protection to the users. However, the efficacy and proper disposal/management of the used face masks, particularly the ones made of non-biodegradable polymers, pose great environmental concerns. This review compiles the recent advancements of face masks, covering their requirements, materials and techniques used, efficacy, challenges, risks, and sustainability towards further enhancement of the quality and performance of face masks.

Keywords: COVID-19; coronavirus; face mask; polymer; sustainability.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 2
Figure 2
Model of a generic filtering respirator with appropriate markings [49].
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) SEM images of a surgical face mask [79] and (b) Sizes of common airborne contaminants and pathogens [71].
Figure 1
Figure 1
Major requirements of face masks.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Various types of face masks: (a) cloth mask, (b) temporary fabric mask, (c) MNP mask or surgical mask, (d) FFP2 mask or N95 mask, and (e) FFP3 mask or respirator.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Various types of face masks: (a) cloth mask, (b) temporary fabric mask, (c) MNP mask or surgical mask, (d) FFP2 mask or N95 mask, and (e) FFP3 mask or respirator.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Three types of phase inversion: (a) dry-jet wet spinning, (b) non-solvent-induced phase separation, and (c) electrospinning [84].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Four-layer N95 respirator mask [67].
Figure 7
Figure 7
Cloth masks material features [86].
Figure 8
Figure 8
(a) UV radiation to N95 mask at University of Nebraska and (b) Hydrogen peroxide vapor generator at Duke University Hospital [118], and (c) Sterilization conditions [117].
Figure 9
Figure 9
CLSM images of nanofibrous mats captured after sterilization and immersion in the culture medium [117].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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