IISc Develops Three-Layered, Low Cost Antimicrobial Composite Material for PPEs

A team from Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru (IISc) has developed a three-layered antimicrobial composite material of low-cost for making masks. And another team, including members from IISc, is involved in testing masks and developing a way of recycling them. The mask material consists of three layers. The outermost layer is made of polyester fabric with polymeric nanofiber deposited on it to make it water-repellent. The middle layer is also a polyester fabric on both sides of which polymeric nanofibers containing antiviral and antibacterial agents are deposited. This layer inactivates both bacteria and virus when it comes into contact with it. The innermost layer is a comfort layer consisting of cotton fabric. The material is designed to cut off particles of the size of 0.3 micrometers to about 95% efficiency. The material was tested by Umesh Varshney’s team in the Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology.