A new face mask made of durable silicone rubber that can be easily sterilized and used many times is capable of stopping viral particles, and could play an important role in stopping the spread of the coronavirus in the USA.
+ Researchers have designed the new silicone rubber mask that can be manufactured using injection molding, which is widely used in factories around the world. The mask also includes an N95 filter, but it requires much less N95 material than a traditional N95 mask.
+ The N95 masks that health care workers wear to protect against exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses are made from polypropylene fibers that are specially designed to filter out tiny viral particles. Ideally, a health care worker would switch to a new mask each time they see a different patient, but shortages of these masks have forced doctors and nurses to wear them for longer than they are meant to be worn.
+ The MIT/Brigham and Women’s Hospital team set out to design a mask that could be safely sterilized and reused many times. They decided on silicone rubber-the material that goes into silicone baking sheets, among other products-because it is so durable. Liquid silicone rubber can be easily molded into any shape using injection molding, a highly automated process that generates products rapidly. The masks are based on the shape of the 3M 1860 style of N95 masks. Most of the mask is made of silicone rubber, and there is also space for one or two N95 filters. Those filters are designed to be replaced after every use, while the rest of the mask can be sterilized and reused.
