| Title | Visualization of the interaction of water aerosol and nanofiber mesh |
| Authors | Yu, Boyang Chen, Jian Chen, Daner Chen, Rouxi Wang, Yuenan Tang, Xiujuan Wang, Hsing-Lin Wang, Lian-Ping Deng, Weiwei |
| Affiliation | Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Dept Mech & Aerosp Engn, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China Peking Univ, Shenzhen Hosp, 1120,Lianhua Rd, Shenzhen 518036, Peoples R China Shenzhen Ctr Dis Control & Prevent, Shenzhen 518055, Peoples R China |
| Issue Date | Sep-2021 |
| Publisher | PHYSICS OF FLUIDS |
| Abstract | Face masks play a critical role in reducing the transmission risk of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases. Masks made with nanofibers have drawn increasingly more attention because of their higher filtration efficiency, better comfort, and lower pressure drop. However, the interactions and consequences of the nanofibers and microwater droplets remain unclear. In this work, the evolution of fibers made of polymers with different contact angles, diameters, and mesh sizes under water aerosol exposure is systematically visualized. The images show that capillarity is very strong compared with the elasticity of the nanofiber. The nanofibers coalesce irreversibly during the droplet capture stage as well as the subsequent liquid evaporation stage. The fiber coalescence significantly reduces the effective fiber length for capturing aerosols. The nanofiber mesh that undergoes multiple droplet capture/evaporation cycles exhibits a fiber coalescing fraction of 40%-58%. The hydrophobic and orthogonally woven fibers can reduce the capillary forces and decrease the fiber coalescing fraction. This finding is expected to assist the proper design, fabrication, and use of face masks with nanofibers. It also provides direct visual evidence on the necessity to replace face masks frequently, especially in cold environments. |
| URI | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11897/638005 |
| ISSN | 1070-6631 |
| DOI | 10.1063/5.0061847 |
| Indexed | SCI(E) |
| Appears in Collections: | 深圳医院 |
