US-12622474-B2 - Antiviral mask and antiviral filter made from a breathable microporous polymeric membrane

US12622474B2US 12622474 B2US12622474 B2US 12622474B2US-12622474-B2

Abstract

An antiviral mask and antiviral filter include a thin breathable, microporous polymeric membrane. That membrane may include a plurality of pores functionalized with a proteolytic enzyme, an antibody or a combination thereof. The antiviral mask and antiviral filter may also include a coating of graphene oxide, lignin sulfonate or a combination thereof and/or a fluorescent virus tagging agent.

Inventors

Dibakar Bhattacharyya
J. Todd Hastings
Thomas D. Dziubla
Yinan Wei
Rollie Mills
R.J. Vogler
Matthew Bernard
Jacob Concolino
Kevin C. Baldridge

Assignees

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20210602

Claims (12)

1 . An antiviral mask, comprising: a body having a breathable, microporous polymeric membrane with a thickness of between about 30 microns and about 500 microns; and a securing strap connected to the body and adapted to secure the antiviral mask in place over a nose and a mouth of a user wherein (a) the polymeric membrane has a porosity of between about 20% and about 80% and an average pore size of between about 15 nm and about 300 nm, (b) the polymeric membrane is made from a material selected from a group consisting of polyvinylidene difluoride, polysulfone, poly (methacrylic acid) functionalized polyvinylidene difluoride, poly (methacrylic acid) functionalized polysulfone, poly (methacrylic acid functionalized polypropylene (PP) and combinations thereof, (c) the polymeric membrane includes a plurality of pores functionalized with a proteolytic enzyme, an antibody or combinations thereof, and (d) the proteolytic enzyme is selected from a group consisting of subtilisin, trypsin, papain, proteinase K, chymotrypsin, elastase and combinations thereof.
2 . The antiviral mask of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric membrane has a pressure drop of less than about 34.47 kPa.
3 . The antiviral mask of claim 1 , wherein the polymeric membrane has a water contact angle of between about 20° and about 115°.
4 . The antiviral mask of claim 1 , further including a coating of graphene oxide, lignin sulfonate or combinations thereof on the polymeric membrane.
5 . The antiviral mask of any of claim 1 , further including a fluorescent virus tagging agent carried on said antiviral mask.
6 . The antiviral mask of claim 1 , wherein the antibody is selected from a group consisting of a RBD (receptor-binding domain)/ACE2 interaction inhibitor, heparin, glycyrrhizic acid and combinations thereof.
7 . The antiviral mask of claim 1 , further including a coating of graphene oxide, lignin sulfonate or combinations thereof on the polymeric membrane.
8 . The antiviral mask of claim 7 , further including an antiviral agent in the coating.
9 . The antiviral mask of claim 8 , wherein the antiviral agent is selected from a group consisting of a quaternary amine, an essential oil derivative having antiviral properties, copper nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles and combinations thereof.
10 . The antiviral mask of claim 7 , further including a fluorescent virus tagging agent.
11 . The antiviral mask of claim 10 , further including an air permeable, inner support layer configured to be arranged between the polymeric membrane and a face of the user of said antiviral mask.
12 . The antiviral mask of claim 11 , wherein the fluorescent virus tagging agent is provided on the air permeable, inner support layer.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION This application is a § 371 National State Application of PCT/US2021/035470 filed Jun. 2, 2021 which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/033,277 filed on Jun. 2, 2020 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/034,057 filed on Jun. 3, 2020, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. GOVERNMENT INTEREST This invention was made with government support under RAPID grant number 2030217 awarded by the National Science Foundation, and Superfund Research Program Grant P42ES007380 awarded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The government has certain rights in the invention. TECHNICAL FIELD This document relates generally to antiviral masks and antiviral filters made from a thin, breathable, microporous polymeric materials. BACKGROUND The spread of coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, through human contact and aerosol exhalation/inhalation could be significantly reduced by advancing membrane filter-based simple enzymatic deactivation techniques. Respiratory coronaviruses are being extensively studied in the research community, due to the high seasonal fatalities globally caused by the common influenza, but the danger of new emergent coronaviruses has become apparent with the current wide-spread nature of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This virus, which started a global pandemic in the early half of 2020, has caused more than 2.2 million total Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths and infected more than 100 million humans. With the large-scale infection of this virus, the use of respiratory face masks (N95, surgical, home-made) has become vital to prevent the continuation of the pandemic, as it has been proven to prevent both the infection of the individual and the virus transmittance from the host via the capture of respiratory droplets. Unfortunately, in non-health care and health care workers, the use of respiratory face masks reduced the rate of infection by a respiratory virus by only about 50% and 80%, respectively, thus showing the immense need for novel technological improvements in the field of mask research and development. The development of smart filtration materials with lower air flow resistance to remove airborne nanoparticles and virus particles will provide immense human health and industrial work-place benefits. SUMMARY In accordance with the purposes and benefits set forth herein, a new and improved antiviral mask is provided. That antiviral mask or filter comprises a body including a breathable, microporous polymeric membrane and a securing strap connected to the body and adapted to secure the antiviral mask in place over the nose and mouth of a user or wearer. The polymeric membrane may have a thickness of between about 30 microns and about 500 microns, a porosity of between about 20% and about 80% and an average pore size of between about 15 nm and about 300 nm. The polymeric membrane may also have a pressure drop of less than about 5 psi or 34.47 kPa. The polymeric membrane may be made from a material selected from a group consisting of polyvinylidene difluoride, polysulfone, polypropylene, cellulose, poly (methacrylic acid) functionalized polyvinylidene difluoride, poly (methacrylic acid) functionalized polysulfone, poly (methacrylic acid) functionalized polypropylene (PP), poly (methacrylic acid) functionalized cellulose and combinations thereof. In one or more of the many possible embodiments of the antiviral mask, the polymeric membrane includes a plurality of pores functionalized with a proteolytic enzyme, a virus denaturing agent and combinations thereof. The proteolytic enzyme may be selected from a group consisting of subtilisin, trypsin, papain, proteinase K, chymotrypsin, elastase and combinations thereof. The virus denaturing agent may be selected from a group consisting of an antibody, a chemical agent that reduces a disulfide bond to an —SH group, dithiothreitol, tris (2-carboxyethyl) phosphine (TLEP), a RBD (receptor-binding domain)/ACE2 interaction inhibitor, heparin, glycyrrhizic acid and combinations thereof. In one or more of the many possible embodiments of the antiviral mask, the antiviral mask further includes a coating of graphene oxide, lignin sulfonate or combinations thereof on the polymeric membrane. In one or more of the many possible embodiments of the antiviral mask, the antiviral mask includes an antiviral agent in the coating. The antiviral agent may be selected from a group consisting of a quaternary amine, an essential oil derivative having antiviral properties, copper nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles and combinations thereof. In one or more of the many possible embodiments of the antiviral mask, the antiviral mask includes a fluorescent virus tagging agent of a type known in the art. In one or more of the many possible embodiments of the antiviral mask, the antiviral mask includes an air permeable outer layer cove