During the coronavirus pandemic, many people have grown accustomed to wearing face masks to protect themselves and others, but that doesn’t mean the masks are always comfortable — especially during exercise.
During the coronavirus pandemic, many people have grown accustomed to wearing face masks to protect themselves and others, but that doesn’t mean the masks are always comfortable — especially during exercise. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed a dynamic respirator that modulates its pore size in response to changing conditions, such as exercise or air pollution levels, allowing the wearer to breathe easier when the highest levels of filtration are not required.
Face masks protect against the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, but they are also worn by people with respiratory problems to filter out harmful pollutants. However, in some circumstances, high levels of filtration aren’t needed, such as when air pollution levels are low, or when someone is exercising outdoors alone — which is generally considered a low-risk activity for spreading COVID-19. But current masks can’t adjust to changing conditions. With time, the trapped, exhaled breath can create sensations of heat, humidity, bad breath and discomfort, especially as more breath gets exhaled during exercise. Seung Hwan Ko and colleagues wanted to make a respirator that could automatically adjust its filtration characteristics in response to changing conditions.
Read more at American Chemical Society
Image: A dynamic respirator changes its pore size in response to changing conditions, making it easier for the wearer to breathe; clear tubing connects the mask to a portable device that communicates with a computer. (Credit: Adapted from ACS Nano 2021, DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c06204)
