Recently, Japan’s Zetta Company has developed a non-woven nanofiber material whose protective capabilities will not be affected even after being hand-washed 100 times with detergent. The company uses this material as a “filter element” to produce Z-Mask masks.
The diameter of the “filter element” fiber material of the N95 mask is between 3 and 5 μm, which can protect against particles. Particles as small as 0.3μm can filter at least 95% of airborne particles, while the diameter of the nanofibers in Z-Mask is 0.08~0.4μm, which is 1/10 of the fiber of the N95 mask material. Moreover, Z-Mask nanofibers The material uses intermolecular interactions, including molecular attraction, to protect particles as small as 0.1μm. Test results show that the Z-Mask mask can block nearly 100% of particles the size of the new coronavirus.
N95 masks usually use electrostatic adsorption of particles on the fiber. After being worn for several hours, the wearer exhales moisture. Under the influence, its protective capabilities will decrease. Normally, medical staff must replace several N95 masks every day, which is one of the reasons why the supply of N95 masks is tight. According to Zetta, because Z-Mask uses molecular gravity to block viruses, its protective capabilities will not be reduced unless the fibers are broken. In the test, the protective ability of the Z-Mask mask was still maintained even after being washed by hand 100 times with detergent.
People usually use the melt-blown process to produce non-woven filter materials. Zetta Company has transformed the melt-blown process. Its special equipment can produce fibers with a diameter of less than 0.4μm at a speed faster than traditional melt-blown processes. More than 100 times the spray method. It is reported that the price of Zetta “filter element” online is about 2,500 yen ($23). Currently, its monthly production capacity is about 1.6 million. </p
