Electrostatic Properties of Nonwoven Masks Made of Polylactic Acid.

ABSTRACT: Polylactic acid (PLA) is an emerging biodegradable alternative to the standard filtering materials such as polypropylene (PP) used for, e.g., surgical masks. Although static electricity was shown to improve its filtering performance similarly to the case of PP, its efficiency, distribution, retention time, etc. were understudied. In this work, by leveraging our recent development of the "mask charger", we report that PLA melt-blown sheets can be charged by the application of a high voltage similarly to PP, yet the fact that PLA is slightly less hydrophobic compared to PP makes it more susceptible to humidity during charging. Once charged, PLA retained its static electricity over a few days in open air. Importantly, neither sandwiching the PLA sheet with two spun bond sheets (protective lay

SUBMITTER: Zhu Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12268443 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature