The polymer nanofiber filter can trap 99.9% of aerosols containing coronavirus.

According to Eurek Alert, as part of the experiment, scientists compared how effectively surgical oils and cotton oils, buffs (tube scarf), and membranes made of nanofiber obtained by the electrospinning method were filtering coronavirus-containing aerosols.

As it turned out, the cotton mask and buffs captured about 45-73% of the aerosols. The surgical mask removed 98% of the coronavirus aerosols from the inhaled air, but the nanofiber filter removed almost everything by 100%.

Electrospinning technology was used to obtain the filter. Under the action of electrostatic forces on an electrically charged jet of polymer solution or melt, polymer fibers with a diameter of about several hundred nanometers are obtained. In this case, the fiber diameter was about 300 nanometers (167 times thinner than a human hair).

On the surface of the nanofibers, pores with a diameter of only a couple of micrometers were formed, which helped them trap 99.9% of coronavirus aerosols. The same fact made it easier to breathe through a nanofiber filter. Plus, aerosol capture rates increase due to the fact that the technique leaves an electrostatic charge on the nanofibers.