Development of Antiviral Mask Removing Toxicity of Guri

JaeRyoyeon Jeong Seonghun Lee Seunghun Research Team Applies Ion Beam Technology
Transfers Technology to Private Companies for Imminent Commercialization

Mask Exhibition. Archive photo unrelated to the article [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Domestic researchers have developed a mask that eliminates the toxicity of copper and can block the COVID-19 virus.

The Korea Institute of Materials Science announced on the 11th that the research team led by Dr. Jeong Seong-hoon and Dr. Lee Seung-hoon from the Nano-Bio Convergence Research Laboratory succeeded in developing a COVID-19 antiviral mask coated with a copper nanofilm by applying ion beam technology.

The research team firmly attached the copper nanofilm to the KF94 mask's polypropylene filter without damage, solving the toxicity problem of copper nanoparticles. Existing masks and filter products used polymer fibers containing copper nanoparticles. However, copper in particle form easily separates from the fiber surface and can be inhaled by people, potentially causing toxicity issues due to copper nanoparticles.

The team anticipated that by manufacturing filter fabric coated with copper nanofilm using plasma and ion beam surface treatment technology with vacuum roll-to-roll equipment, it would be possible to develop KF94 masks and HEPA filters capable of inactivating the COVID-19 virus. Accordingly, they treated the polypropylene filter fibers with an ion beam and then vacuum-deposited a 20-nanometer copper film. The surface modification layer created by the ion beam process prevented the delamination of the copper nanofilm, thereby preventing side effects caused by respiratory penetration of copper nanoparticles.

The developed mask was verified using the actual COVID-19 virus in cooperation with the National Masan Hospital. The particle capture efficiency showed a level similar to existing KF94 masks because the filter fibers were not damaged. In particular, it was confirmed that when the currently prevalent actual COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) was exposed to the mask surface for one hour, more than approximately 99.9% of the virus was inactivated.

According to Grand View Research, the disposable mask market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of over 50% from approximately $74.9 billion in the first quarter of 2019 until 2027. The air purifier market, which has sold more than 3 million units domestically, is also continuously growing due to issues such as fine dust, indicating a bright outlook for this technology alongside the growing market. Viruses and bacteria filtered by masks and air purifier filters, whose usage is increasing, pose a risk of secondary infection. The research team expects this technology to block such concerns.

Senior Researcher Lee Seung-hoon of the Korea Institute of Materials Science said, “While the development of various quarantine materials is important, there is a lack of empirical research using highly pathogenic pathogens,” adding, “It is urgent to establish infrastructure and related certification systems to secure empirical results using high-risk pathogens and to standardize K-quarantine materials and components.”

The research results were published on the 22nd of last month in Polymers, an academic journal in the polymer field. The research team is promoting commercialization by transferring patents related to antiviral filter materials and quarantine material components using plasma technology to private companies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.