Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Novel sustainable filter for virus filtration and inactivation

Researchers designed a reusable face mask filter combining a water-repelling layer with a copper layer that kills viruses, achieving 90% particle filtration and 99% virus inactivation within two hours — while also offering at least 10% easier breathing compared to standard surgical and KN95 masks.

2022 Scientific Reports 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Functional Fiber Membranes with Antibacterial Properties for Face Masks

Researchers developed fiber-based membranes with built-in antibacterial properties for use in face masks, aiming to create filtration materials that can both block particles and actively kill pathogens to improve mask performance and safety.

2023 Advanced Fiber Materials 38 citations
Article Tier 2

Protein‐Based Face Mask with High SARS‐CoV‐2 Neutralization Ability and Breathability

This paper describes the development of a protein-based face mask designed to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 by capturing spike proteins. It is not about microplastics and is not relevant to microplastic research.

2023 Advanced Materials Technologies 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Development of reusable cloth mask with nanoparticle filtration efficiency greater than 95%

Researchers developed a reusable cloth mask with nanoparticle filtration efficiency greater than 95%, motivated by the environmental concerns of single-use surgical and respirator masks that shed microplastic fibers, evaluating the novel mask material's filtration performance against respiratory droplets and particulates.

2022 Aerosol Science and Technology
Article Tier 2

An overview of filtration efficiency through the masks: Mechanisms of the aerosols penetration

Researchers reviewed how different types of face masks filter airborne particles — including viral droplets and pollution aerosols — examining the physical and chemical mechanisms that govern how tiny particles penetrate mask layers under varying environmental conditions. The review finds that no single mask design is optimal for all aerosol sizes and conditions, and that better filtration requires understanding the interplay of particle size, humidity, and mask construction.

2020 Bioactive Materials 388 citations
Article Tier 2

Nanocellulose-based membrane as a potential material for high performance biodegradable aerosol respirators for SARS-CoV-2 prevention: a review

Researchers reviewed nanocellulose-based membrane materials as biodegradable alternatives to synthetic face mask filters, finding that cellulose nanofibers and nanocrystals offer promising filtration efficiency, biocompatibility, and environmental safety compared to single-use plastic-based respirators.

2022 Cellulose 29 citations
Article Tier 2

Viruses and Their Penetration Through Fibrous Structures: a Review

This review examines how viruses interact with and penetrate fibrous structures such as face masks and respirators, analyzing the filtration mechanisms and material properties that determine the protective efficacy of textile barriers against airborne viral transmission.

2023 Fibres and Textiles
Review Tier 2

Electrospun nanofiber-based respiratory face masks—a review

Researchers reviewed advances in face mask materials during the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on electrospun nanofiber membranes with nano-sized pores that offer high filtration efficiency at low weight, and highlighting the integration of metal-organic frameworks, graphene, and 3D-printing as pathways to multifunctional and reusable mask designs.

2022 Emergent Materials 68 citations
Article Tier 2

Porous charged polymer nanosheets formed via microplastic removal from frozen ice for virus filtration and detection

Researchers developed porous charged polymer nanosheets — created by freezing and removing microplastics from ice — that can filter viruses including SARS-CoV-2 with 96% efficiency. This innovative technique uses microplastics as a template to produce functional filtration materials while simultaneously removing plastic particles.

2022 Nanoscale 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Aerosol Filtration Testing of Fabrics for Development of Reusable Face Masks

Researchers tested the aerosol filtration performance of over 300 fabrics and layered fabric combinations for use as reusable face masks, finding that layered materials and hydrophobic coatings significantly improve filtration efficiency while maintaining breathability. The work provides practical guidance for designing effective non-disposable masks — an important consideration given that disposable mask waste, including microplastic-releasing synthetic fibers, became a major pollution concern during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2021 Aerosol and Air Quality Research 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Nano-copper ions assembled cellulose-based composite with antibacterial activity for biodegradable personal protective mask

Researchers developed an antibacterial face mask using cotton fabric modified with nano-copper ions via electrostatic adsorption, achieving 96% particle filtration efficiency, 100% antibacterial activity, and sustained antiviral performance after 50 wash cycles, offering a biodegradable alternative to single-use synthetic masks.

2023 Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering 6 citations
Article Tier 2

In Situ Real‐Time and Reusable Antibacterial Mask Based on CoO@Ag Nanozyme with Enhanced Catalytic Activity

Researchers synthesized a CoO@Ag nanozyme that rapidly generates singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radicals at room temperature and incorporated it into a reusable antibacterial mask, demonstrating that the mask can inactivate bacteria in real time while reducing the microplastic pollution caused by disposable surgical masks.

2025 Small
Article Tier 2

Mask material: challenges and virucidal properties as an effective solution against coronavirus SARS-CoV-2

This review examines the filtration efficiency, breathability, and virucidal properties of different mask materials against SARS-CoV-2, finding that cotton mask performance improves with higher thread count and more layers but at a cost to breathability.

2020 Open Health 20 citations
Article Tier 2

Scalable, solvent-free transparent film-based air filter with high particulate matter 2.5 filtration efficiency

Researchers developed a scalable, solvent-free transparent film-based air filter with high removal efficiency for PM2.5 particulates, offering a face mask alternative that maintains both filtration performance and optical transparency without toxic solvents.

2023 The Science of The Total Environment 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Antiviral/antibacterial biodegradable cellulose nonwovens as environmentally friendly and bioprotective materials with potential to minimize microplastic pollution

Biodegradable cellulose nonwoven materials incorporating antiviral and antibacterial agents were developed as a sustainable alternative to polypropylene face masks, demonstrating comparable filtration performance with significantly faster environmental degradation, reducing the microplastic pollution burden of disposable PPE.

2021 Journal of Hazardous Materials 76 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioinspired artificial spider silk photocatalyst for the high-efficiency capture and inactivation of bacteria aerosols

Researchers developed an artificial spider silk material coated with titanium dioxide that can capture airborne bacteria with high efficiency and then destroy them using light-activated photocatalysis. The material mimics the water-collecting structure of natural spider silk to trap particles from the air. While focused on bacteria, this type of bioinspired filtration technology could potentially be adapted for capturing airborne microplastic particles.

2023 Nature Communications 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Supramolecular nanocrystalline membranes with well-aligned subnanochannels for enhanced reverse osmosis desalination

Researchers engineered a 6-nanometer-thick membrane with precisely aligned sub-nanometer channels that filters seawater more efficiently than commercial reverse osmosis membranes, removing 99.6% of salt while passing water 2–4 times faster. The membrane also showed exceptional resistance to chlorine, boron, and extreme pH, pointing toward more durable and effective desalination technology.

2025 Nature Communications 10 citations
Article Tier 2

Upscaling of Electrospinning Technology and the Application of Functionalized PVDF-HFP@TiO2 Electrospun Nanofibers for the Rapid Photocatalytic Deactivation of Bacteria on Advanced Face Masks

Researchers developed electrospun nanofiber membranes made from PVDF-HFP polymer combined with titanium dioxide for use in advanced face masks with photocatalytic antibacterial properties. The study demonstrated that these functionalized nanofiber filters effectively deactivated bacteria while maintaining high filtration performance, offering a potential alternative to conventional mask materials.

2023 Polymers 8 citations
Article Tier 2

Virucidal and Bactericidal Filtration Media from Electrospun Polylactic Acid Nanofibres Capable of Protecting against COVID-19

Researchers developed an electrospun polylactic acid nanofibre filter medium (FilterLayr Eco) incorporating manuka oil terpenoids, demonstrating filtration of up to 99.9% of 0.1 µm particles and killing over 99% of airborne fungi, bacteria, and viruses including SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. The biobased, industrially compostable material retained antimicrobial and filtration efficacy after multiple washing cycles, meeting N95 and ASTM F2100 Level 2 standards.

2022 Membranes 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Needleless electrospun phytochemicals encapsulated nanofibre based 3-ply biodegradable mask for combating COVID-19 pandemic

Researchers developed a three-layer biodegradable face mask combining cotton outer layers with a polylactic acid nanofibrous filtration layer infused with plant-derived antimicrobials, achieving 97.9% bacterial filtration efficiency and demonstrating biodegradation in a microbial slurry — offering a potential eco-friendly alternative to single-use synthetic masks.

2021 Chemical Engineering Journal 113 citations
Article Tier 2

Filtration Performance and Fiber Shedding Behavior in Common Respirator and Face Mask Materials

Researchers tested seven common respirator and face mask materials for how well they filter airborne particles and whether they shed fibers. The N95 respirator performed best with over 95% filtration efficiency, while cotton masks filtered only about 25% of particles; one mask also shed tiny dendrite structures similar in size to its nanoscale fibers.

2023 Aerosol and Air Quality Research 5 citations
Article Tier 2

Functional Electrospun Membranes From Renewable Lignin for Clean Air Applications

Researchers developed sustainable lignin-based electrospun nanofibrous membranes incorporating triclosan for high-efficiency air filtration, demonstrating that renewable biopolymer-derived membranes can achieve antibacterial properties alongside effective capture of airborne particles including microplastics.

2025 Advances in Materials Science and Engineering
Article Tier 2

Field-Assisted Efficient Capturing and Analysis of Airborne Nanoparticulate Matter Using a Multifunctional Nanoporous Membrane

Researchers developed a multifunctional nanoporous membrane that uses electric field assistance to capture airborne nanoparticles with high efficiency. The study demonstrates improved performance for collecting ultrafine particulate matter combined with Raman spectroscopy analysis, offering a promising tool for monitoring nanoscale air pollutants including airborne plastic particles.

2024 ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Tuneable and biodegradable poly(ester amide)s for disposable facemasks

Scientists developed biodegradable face mask filters made from novel bio-based poly(ester amide) polymers that fully degrade within 35 days. The filters matched the particle capture efficiency and breathability of commercial mask filters, offering a more environmentally friendly alternative to standard disposable masks that contribute to microplastic pollution.

2023 arXiv (Cornell University)