The unprecedented COVID-19 has spread across nations, making masks an imperative part of every individual’s routine. Face masks not only act as a physical barrier between the wearer and the environment but also inhibit antimicrobial agents and pathogens. As the pandemic is making its way to every part of the world, it also poses a very dangerous environmental threat which is the trash created by used, non – recyclable face masks and PPE kits. We favor reusable masks more asthey stop the littering of masks and secondary infections.
To tackle this problem, IIT Mandi has developed a product which is “virus – filtering, self-cleaning and antibacterial material which can be used as face masks and as other protective gear. Dr Amit Jaiswal, an assistant professor at the School of Basic Sciences, IIT Mandi, at a press conference said “We have added an antimicrobial coating to the existing face masks and PPE kits, which is made of a material which is reportedly 100,000 times smaller than the width of the human hair to confer antimicrobial properties to polycotton fabric. They have also made it cost-effective, so it caters to everyone.
He also mentioned “For the past couple of years, we have been exploiting the property of 2D nanosheets, especially molybdenum disulphide or MoS2 nanosheets. Recently, the MoS2 nanosheet has emerged as an excellent antibacterial agent. In our previous study, we reported nanosheet exerts their antibacterial activity through the combined action of membrane depolarization, metabolic inactivation and ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) generation in bacteria. This understanding encouraged us to exploit the antibacterial potential of MoS2 nanosheets for the fabrication of PPEs like face masks which could be of great help to society in times of pandemic,”
At IIT Mandi, the team incorporated nanometre-sized sheets of molybdenum disulphide and MoS2. Research scholars Shounak Roy, Praveen Kumar and Anita Sarkar are also assisting Dr Jaiswal with this project. Shounak added, “When we studied these MoS2 nanosheets under an electron microscope, we saw them as thin flakes with sharp edges and corners. These sharp edges/corners make nanosheets behave like nano-knives that penetrate and puncture the membranes of bacteria and viruses. The nano knife – changes fabrics showed amazing antibacterial activity even after washing it 60 times resulting in less biological waste generation.
These nanosheets enable the process of disinfection when exposed to light, besides puncturing the microbial membranes.“The fabric used has amazing antimicrobial properties and besides that when they are in contact with sunlight, they exhibit photo-thermal effect which means they absorb the energy of sunlight and convert it into heat. The temperature of the fabrics rises to 77 degrees Celsius in 5 minutes when exposed to sunlight which kills 99% bacteria in 3 minutes” explained Praveen
Writing in the prestigious journal of the American Chemical Society–Applied Materials & Interfaces–the authors write, “Within 5 minutes of solar irradiation, all the MoS2-change fabrics showed 100% killing of both E. coli and S. aureus.” To clean the mask, you just have to hang it in sunlight and you can reuse it again.
The researchers have also mentioned that they have developed a four-layered mask with MoS2 changed fabric that is reusable, can be cleaned by sunlight and filtered over 96% of particles in the size range of the COVID-19 virus.
Written By- Muskan Mehta