N95 mask with recyclable, reusable qualities developed using 3D Printing

Researchers have developed a reusable, recyclable, washable, odourless, non-allergic, and anti-microbial N95 mask using 3D printing technology, stated the Ministry of Science & Technology on Monday. Depending on the use, the four-layer mask with a silicon outer layer is reported to have a shelf life of more than 5 years, it added.

According to the statement, the mask contains a 4-layer filtration system with a first-layer filter that is coated with nanoparticles on the outside. High-efficiency particulate absorption (HEPA) filters are placed in the second, 100 m filters in the third, and moisture-absorbent filters in the fourth layer of the product.

Apart from being used against infections like COVID-19, the mask can also be used by workers in different industries where they are exposed to high volumes of dust like cement factories, brick kilns, cotton factories, and pain industries. 

The mask has been created in collaboration with Drs. Atul Thakur, Preeti Thakur, Lucky Krishnia, Prof. P. B. Sharma, Dinesh Kumar, a research scholar from Amity University Haryana (AUH), and Prof. Rakesh Srivastava from the University of Nebraska in the United States.

Additionally, the mask may also be adjusted to meet other requirements by altering the filter configuration in accordance with the environment in which it will be worn, and this can aid in preventing serious lung conditions like silicosis. A trademark and a patent have already been filed for the mask called Nano Breath.

Furthermore, according to the official press release, the work on the product was completed using a Zetasizer Nano ZS, which enables high-temperature thermal analysis for ceramic materials and catalysis applications, a facility made possible by the "Fund for Improvement of Science & Technology Infrastructure" (FIST) project of the Department of Science & Technology.

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