Antibacterial multifunctional face mask with real time respiratory analysis [abstract]

Abstract

The demand for antibacterial fabric surfaces is increasing day by day. With the covid-19 pandemic situation, there is attention to antibacterial and antiviral nonwoven fabrics which can be used towards the development of personal protective wear. To reduce the environmental pollution caused by disposable and non-biodegradable polymer-made personal protective wear can be replaced by biodegradable polymers like poly(lactic) acid (PLA), which is quite similar to polypropylene, but biodegradable. In this study, the non-thermal plasma treatment method is used to increase the surface reactivity of the PLA nonwoven polymer surface. On the activated nonwoven surface copper nanoparticles are in-situ synthesized by chemical treatments. After 30 minutes of plasma treatment, better copper nanoparticle distribution and higher yield were achieved. In addition, a textile-based breath sensor was fabricated to capture the real time respiratory analysis data which can help treating individuals with breathing difficulties. Polyaniline coated PCL nanofiber membrane was used as an active layer of the pressure sensor while silver coated woven fabrics facilitate as the two electrodes. The real time breathing pattern was plotted using python programming using Arduino as the data collection method. Python programming was also used to calculate breathing rate to analyze abnormal breathing patterns during real time monitoring. However, the pressure sensor was only sensitive to exhale breath pressure which could be overcome by increasing the sensitivity of the sensor with including more layers of active conductive nanofiber membranes between electrodes. The developed textile-based breath sensor can be used effectively for continuous monitoring of respiratory rate aid to identify the progression of illness, and an abnormal respiratory rate which may indicate potential serious medical needs.