Oh, patents ! The SonoMask

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

As the second year of the new normal unfolds, wearing facemasks has become strictly mandatory. Masks are now mandatory in all Federal buildings (Biden, 2021) The CDCs have mandated that masks be worn on all public transportation (CDC,Jan 29 2021). At the State level, in California, for example, masks are mandatory the minute anyone steps out of their residence (CA.gov, Masks). In the absence of widespread vaccination, social distancing, handwashing and facemasks are known to be the most important measures of protection against the dreadfully tenacious SARS CoV-2 (Ming Hui Chua, et aL.Aug 7, 2020). Studies carried out in Washington State and NYC show that wearing face masks can significantly reduce transmission rates and death toll (Eikenberry SE, et al., (2020).

However, not all facemasks are created equal. Facemasks offer different levels of protection against airborne transmission, aerosols, and droplets. All of which contain virus particles that were exhaled, sneezed, coughed, or that were emitted when someone infected talked or sang—the louder, the greater the emission, as measured with laser light scattering (Ming Hui Chua, et aL.Aug 7, 2020). Virus-charged airborne transmission, aerosol, and droplets, that spread COVID-19 through respiratory airways, together with transmission through contact, or fomites (surfaces).   

Masks are loose-fitting, in comparison to respirators. They are reusable or disposable. The degree of protection they offer, as measured by their filtering capacity, depends both on the fabric that is used, and its engineering. Very small particles, such as the SARS-CoV-2 will not be filtered through fabric such as cotton or synthetics, with large pore size.  Concomitantly, surges of infection during the pandemic created a dangerous shortage of N95 masks for medical personnel. N95 masks are National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified face masks, affording 95% protection against airborne pollutants. Thus, individuals, makers, and industrial players pooled tremendous efforts to remedy the shortages. As a result, the facemask market is flooded with both homemade masks and medical-grade, or engineered masks,all of which are variably constructed, with varying degrees of protection.

The Israeli SonoMask, manufactured by Sonovia, offers an engineered solution. The SonoMask is coated with zinc oxide nanoparticles that destroy bacteria, fungi, and viruses, using patented sono-finishing technology, developed during the first decade of the 21^st century. The ultrasonic technology embeds the nanoparticles into the fabric.  Independent laboratory testing indicated 99.34% protection against bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The masks are reusuable, and active through 55-wash cycles. Thus, the Sonomask also offers an environmentally-aware solution.  

The Sono-finishing technology is patented in the US utility patent US9315937B2, titled Sonochemical coating of textiles with metaloxide nanoparticles for antimicrobial fabrics. The sonochemical  technology was developed at the Bar Ilan University, in Tel Aviv, Israel, with a scope that extends far beyond facemasks for protection against SARS CoVID-2 Indeed, beyond protection from pathogens, applications exist for fire-retardancy, UV protection, oil/water repellency, and dyeing. The process might also be applied to many different sorts of fabrics, such as hospital beds, car seats, theater seats, clothing, sports clothing, hotel textiles, plus more.  

The abstract of this invention is included below, together with the patent Figure 2 showing the fabric: uncoated (a), coated (b) and magnified (c). An image of the mask as it is marketed is also included. The company has partnered with fashion brands Channel, Gucci, and Adidas, within the context of the Fashion for Good Network, to accelerate the production of super safe masks.

 We disclose a system for preparing antimicrobial fabrics, coated with metal oxide nanoparticles by means of a novel sonochemical method. These antibacterial fabrics are widely used for production of outdoor clothes, under-wear, bed-linen, bandages, etc. The deposition of metal oxides known to possess antimicrobial activity, namely ZnO, MgO and CuO, can significantly extent the applications of textile fabrics and prolong the period of their use. By means of the novel sonochemical method disclosed here, uniform deposition of metal oxide nanoparticles is achieved simply. [Abstract US9315937B2]

 

References

Biden, J. (Jan 20, 2021) Executive Order on Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing. Executive Order – The White house. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/20/executive-order-protecting-the-federal-workforce-and-requiring-mask-wearing/

CA.gov Masks https://tinyurl.com/y5rk6xkm

CDC  (Jan 29, 2021) Requirement for Face Masks on Public Transportation Conveyances and at Transportation Hubs. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/face-masks-public-transportation.html

Eikenberry SE, et al., (2020) To mask or not to mask: Modeling the potential for face mask use by the general public to curtail the COVID-19 pandemic. Infect Dis Model. 2020; 5():293-308.. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7186508/

Fashion for Good https://fashionforgood.com/

Keyser, Z.   (Dec.  27, 2020) Lab tests suggest Israeli-made face mask eliminates over 99% of coronavirus. The Jerusalem Post. https://tinyurl.com/y6yphndf

Sonovia https://sonoviatech.com

Ming Hui Chua, et al.(Aug 7, 2020) ,Face Masks in the New COVID-19 Normal: Materials, Testing, and Perspectives. Research (Wash D C). 2020; 2020: 7286735. Published online 2020 Aug 7. doi: 10.34133/2020/7286735