US-12622473-B2 - Antiviral electrospun fibers and methods of reducing airborne pathogen spread

Abstract

Methods of forming an antiviral facial mask that is capable of not only filtering pathogen particles, but also deactivating pathogen particles prior to exposure by the wearer. Typical facial masks do not deactivate pathogen particles, but rather merely capture viral particles on an outer surface of the mask. As such, the masks present a risk of interaction between the mask wearer and the particles, such as during the removal and/or application of the masks. Methods of forming enhanced antiviral facial masks include the formation of fibers via electrospinning, such that the fibers include a solution of two oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, surfactants, and metal ions. In use, water from human breath activates the surfactants to capture and deactivate pathogen particles. Moreover, the strength of the fibers from the oppositely charged polyelectrolytes results in increased lifespans of the masks, as the masks do not breakdown in the presence of high humidity.

Inventors

• Lei Zhai

Assignees

• UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INC.

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20220113

Claims (4)

1. 1 . An antiviral facial mask comprising: an outer surface; an inner surface opposite the outer surface, the inner surface configured to conform to a shape of a wearer's face; an antiviral membrane layer disposed between the outer surface and the inner surface, the antiviral membrane layer including: a plurality of electrospun fiber strands comprised of a mixture of a positively charged polyelectrolyte, a negatively charged polyelectrolyte, an amount of embedded surfactant molecules, and an amount of embedded metal ion molecules, wherein the amount of embedded surfactant molecules present in the mixture is between 0.1% and 5% of the mixture; wherein the plurality of electrospun fiber strands are thermally crosslinked by heating at approximately 100° C., whereby the plurality of electrospun fiber strands are stable in high-humidity conditions; wherein the plurality of electrospun fiber strands block airborne aerosol particles in a submicron size range while permitting airflow associated with human breath; wherein the amount of the embedded surfactant molecules of the antiviral membrane layer are activated upon exposure to water molecules from the human breath; wherein, once activated and in the presence of an airborne pathogen comprising a plurality of particles having a fatty lipid membrane, on the outer layer of the antiviral facial mask, the amount of the embedded surfactant molecules interact with the fatty lipid membrane of one or more of the plurality of particles of the airborne pathogen, thereby denaturing the fatty lipid membranes of the one or more of the plurality of particles of the airborne pathogen such that the fatty lipid membranes dissolve; and wherein the antiviral membrane layer captures and deactivates the one or more of the plurality of particles of the airborne pathogen prior to the particles reaching the inner surface of the antiviral facial mask.
2. 2 . The antiviral facial mask of claim 1 , wherein the positively charged polyelectrolyte is selected from the group consisting of poly(allylamine hydrochloride), chitosan, and poly(amine), and the negatively charged polyelectrolyte is selected from the group consisting of poly(acrylic acid), (polygalacturonic acid), alginic acid, and poly(methacrylic acid).
3. 3 . The antiviral facial mask of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of sodium dodecyl sulfate, ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauryl, sodium lauryl ether sulfate, sodium myreth sulfate, benzalkonium chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride, benzethonium chloride, cetyl trimethylammonium bromide, and cetyl trimethylammonium chloride.
4. 4 . The antiviral facial mask of claim 1 , wherein the airborne aerosol particles have a diameter of at least 200 nm.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This nonprovisional application claims priority to provisional application No. 63/199,623, entitled “Antiviral electrospun fibers and methods of reducing airborne pathogen spread,” filed on Jan. 13, 2021 by the same inventor, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates, generally, to antiviral fibers, such as those nonwoven into masks. More specifically, it relates to antiviral electrospun fibers infused with one or more surfactants and metal ions that can be used to reduce the spread of airborne pathogens, such as those associated with severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and similar infectious diseases. 2. Brief Description of the Prior Art Airborne transmitted pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2 and similar infectious diseases, often spread through close contact between humans. Whether the spread is through direct host-to-host transmission or through surface-to-host transmission, the transmission path is similar—droplets carrying the pathogen are transmitted from one host through natural human respiratory functions, including breathing, speaking, sneezing, and coughing. The secondary host merely needs to contact the droplets through his or her respiratory system (either directly, such as through breathing, or indirectly, such as through a secondary transmission via a hand-to-surface contact) to be exposed to the pathogen. As such, some of the most widespread and effective methods of preventing or reducing pathogen transmission depend on decreasing the likelihood of exposure to airborne pathogens. Efforts to reduce close contact between humans, generally termed “social distancing,” include the physical spacing apart of occupants of a given space to reduce overlaps in respiratory functions, as well as reductions in attendance capacities for given spaces, particularly indoor spaces with centralized airflow systems. By reducing the opportunities for people to interact in an enclosed space, the likelihood of pathogen transmission decreases. Similarly, widespread adoption of facial masks and shields has proven to be effective at reducing transmission rates. By wearing a facial mask, the wearer reduces the likelihood of pathogen transmission both into and out of the wearer, since the facial mask forms a barrier surrounding the wearer's mouth and nose. However, while any type of facial covering reduces the rate of pathogen transmission, the efficacy of facial masks varies depending on the fabric, the spaces between fibers, the fit of the mask against the user's face, and other similar factors. Moreover, while a facial mask may filter pathogens from transmission, pathogen particles can reside on an outer surface of the facial mask. As such, if the wearer does not take care when removing or applying the facial mask, the wearer can expose himself or herself to particles trapped on the surface of the facial mask. Typical facial masks act as buffers between the wearer and airborne particles; however, such facial masks do not act to remove or deactivate pathogen particles. Attempts have been made to create ultraviolet or electrically charged facial masks to both filter and deactivate pathogen particles; however, such attempts require complicated electronics to be used in conjunction with the masks, both increasing the cost of the masks and reducing the lifespan thereof, such as by reducing the ease of washing and reusing the mask. Accordingly, what is needed is an antiviral electrospun fiber infused with one or more surfactants and/or metal ions that can be used to reduce the spread of airborne pathogens by both filtering and deactivating pathogen particles. Moreover, what is needed is a facial mask including fibers that can be hydrated but maintain the structural integrity and surfactants/metal ions that are water soluble under high-humidity conditions, such as those associated with human breath. The surfactants/metal ions available at hydrated fiber surfaces deactivate pathogen particles. However, in view of the art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the field of this invention how the shortcomings of the prior art could be overcome. While certain aspects of conventional technologies have been discussed to facilitate disclosure of the invention, Applicant in no way disclaims these technical aspects, and it is contemplated that the claimed invention may encompass one or more of the conventional technical aspects discussed herein. The present invention may address one or more of the problems and deficiencies of the prior art discussed above. However, it is contemplated that the invention may prove useful in addressing other problems and deficiencies in a number of technical areas. Therefore, the claimed invention should not necessarily be construed as limited to addressing any of the particular prob