Leveraging Technology and Science
Self-Sustaining Triboelectric Air Filter
For an expansive discussion of this topic see COVID-19: IT'S TRANSMISSION AND FACE MASK EFFICACY on pages 20 and 26 and Evidence.
Bacteria, germs and viruses come in many types, with disparate characteristics. The viruses of greatest concern to us today have been determined to carry a "gram-negative" electrical charge and are "enveloped", meaning they have a outer protective membrane. Although a virus is not a living thing, it attaches to living "hosts" and hi-jacks them to survive. Disabling it is accomplished by penetrating the outer "capsid" and transferring a positive electrical to it.
Technology Similar to Sophisticated Respirator: A Self-Sustaining Electrostatic Charge
While medical respirators are considered to be the “gold standard” as it relates to face coverings designed to protect medical personnel, what makes them effective is not widely known. Respirators are effective at filtration, capturing 95% of particles as small as 3 microns, however, while aerosolized viruses are far smaller, they don't travel alone: they hitch a ride on larger carriers that are caught by their barrier layers. Despite this, they actually filter smaller particles better than larger ones. Nanosized particles fall subject to the phenomenon of Brownian Motion and are propelled at high speed in random directions. In motion, negatively-charged microbes are attracted to the respirator's positively-charged center layer and deactivated by electrocution.Particle air filtration, in the form of a triboelectric air filter (TAF) can be created within the construct of a fabric face covering through various design elements and the use of a combination of carefully selected textiles. The TAF can attract gram-negative microbes, secure them and then transfer a positive electric charge to them to electrocute them.
The Stay Safer Reusable Protective Face Covering's design derives from our research and studies conducted by scientists from Stanford Medicine and the University of Chicago and the world-renown Argonne National Laboratory* (the source of the exhibit at left). This latter study found that cotton with silk or chiffon were the best combination of materials for fabric face coverings as they help to create a triboelectric air filter to attract, secure and electrocute gram-negative microbials. The data in the exhibit at right (provided by physicist/scientist Ron Kurtus) illustrates the charge differential between cotton and silk. To "optimize" this design, our face covering has two center layers — each of silk chiffon — to amplify its friction-generating capability. Our face covering is "recharged" daily by simply rubbing it by hand for ten seconds . Moreover, its design helps it be self-sustaining and self-powered by harnessing the aerodynamic friction created by the wearer's breathing to create abrasion between the layers
* The Research Consortium has no relationship with any of these academic/research organizations. References to their research is not intended to imply any form of product endorsement.
Legendary Advancement in Chemistry
For an expansive discussion of this topic see COVID-19: IT'S TRANSMISSION AND FACE MASK EFFICACY on pages 29 and Evidence.
As noted above, bad microbes come in many types and have many disparate characteristics. Our present focus is on those that carry a "gram-negative" electrical charge and are "enveloped" with an outer protective membrane. Disabling them requires penetrating the outer "capsid" and transferring a positive electrical charge to electrocute them. Whereas the triboelectric technology described above is effective, this chemistry-based solution is a proven, four decades old technology that creates a positively-charged surface that attracts and then transfers a fatal charge to gram-negative, enveloped microbes.
Both the outer and inner layers of the Stay Safer Reusable Protective Face Covering, and its ear straps, use fabric that has been treated with a powerful industry award-winning chemical antimicrobial that was originally created by Dow Chemical. It is a quaternary ammonium compound (QAC), meaningit creates a chemical reaction on the surface upon which it is applied. It is also cationic, meaning it is positively charged and highly effective at inactivating enveloped microbes by stabbing their protein-based envelope and electrocuting them (unlike antimicrobials made with heavy metals that poison them).
The product’ we use has an active ingredient called Dimethyloctadecyl (3-trimethoxysilylpropyl) Ammonium Chloride (DTSACl). QACs, especially those that use DTSACl as their active ingredient, have been found to be highly effective against enveloped pathogenic microbes, whether they are germs, fungi, bacteria or viruses. For a detailed discussion about Antimicrobial Testing Standards and Test Results, click here.