Virucidal and biodegradable specialty cellulose nonwovens as personal protective equipment against COVID-19 pandemic.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Face masks are regarded as effective Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the dominant polypropylene (PP)-based masks are devoid of antiviral/antibacterial activities and create enormous environmental burdens after disposal.

Objectives

Here we report a facile and potentially scalable method to fabricate biodegradable, breathable, and biocidal cellulose nonwovens (BCNWs) to address both environmental and hygienic problems of commercially available face masks.

Methods

TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nonwovens are rendered antiviral/antibacterial via covalent bonding with disinfecting polyhexamethylene guanidine or neomycin sulfate through carbodiimide coupling chemistry.

Results

The obtained results showed that the BCNW

SUBMITTER: Deng C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8577049 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature