Notre Dame researchers to create material for new antimicrobial mask | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Notre Dame researchers to create material for new antimicrobial mask Notre Dame researchers to create material for new antimicrobial mask Published: June 02, 2020 Author: Brandi Wampler Antimicrobial masks Not long after the coronavirus pandemic began impacting the nation, hospitals and other health services began running into shortages of personal protective equipment such as face masks. Typical masks can help prevent the transmission of disease, but have a one-time use. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are working to develop a new fabric for antimicrobial masks that could potentially be reusable. Funded by the National Science Foundation through a Rapid Response Research (RAPID) grant, scientists and engineers are collaborating to translate existing water filtration technology to create a new fabric that will not only capture viruses, like the coronavirus, but also deactivate them. Nosang Vincent Myung “Our team previously created a proprietary composite nanofiber material for water filtration that we believed could be fairly easily translated and utilized to filter air. Once the pandemic hit, we began to think more critically about how we could make an air filtration material for face masks that not only meets a critical need for health care professionals, but improves them,” said Nosang Vincent Myung, the Keating Crawford Endowed Professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Notre Dame and co-lead on the project. Through a decade-long collaboration, Myung and David Cwiertny, professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Iowa, developed a new material that maximized water filtration performance while minimizing the cost. By using this material’s unique formula, the researchers will aim to mimic the pathogen-capturing process for air filtration as well as include a biocidal or antimicrobial function. As a part of the team, Patrick O’Shaughnessy, professor of occupational and environmental health at the University of Iowa, will assess the efficiency of the material’s ability for capturing airborne particles. Additionally, Kyle Bibby, associate professor and the Wanzek Collegiate Chair in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at Notre Dame, will utilize his expertise to test if it’s effective, and how successful the material is at deactivating airborne viruses. “The water filter materials Nosang and I developed have always been hybrids — both blocking and reacting with molecules. Now we are looking forward to applying this same concept to a product that could protect people within the health services industry and those that may be exposed to other air-compromised environments,” said Cwiertny, co-lead on the project. Myung and Bibby are affiliated with Notre Dame’s Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics initiative.   Contact: Jessica Sieff, assistant director of media relations, 574-631-3933, jsieff@nd.edu Posted In: Research Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related October 05, 2022 Astrophysicists find evidence for the presence of the first stars October 04, 2022 NIH awards $4 million grant to psychologists researching suicide prevention September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 22, 2022 Climate-prepared countries are losing ground, latest ND-GAIN index shows For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn