Lipi developed a disinfector cloth mask to prevent covid

The Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) is developing a disinfector cloth mask with a copper coating. The research team said the anti-virus mask was able to kill the SARS-CoV-2 virus when it came into contact with the surface of the mask.

How do these masks work and how far has the research progressed? Check out the following explanation.

Disinfector cloth masks are able to kill the virus that causes COVID-19

Image source: doc. Hello Healthy

The research team from the LIPI Physics Research Center developed disinfector or anti-virus cloth masks as an effort to help deal with COVID-19. This mask is a copper coated cloth mask that has two advantages at once.

First , this mask is able to reduce the pores of the mask. The minimized pores of the cloth can increase the ability of the mask to filter out virus particles, be it particles that are inhaled or emitted by the user when sneezing, coughing or speaking.

Second , the copper in the mask layer is believed to be able to kill and destroy the outer layer of the virus, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

The lead researcher on this project Dr. Deni Shidqi Khaerudini S.Si., M.Eng said that copper has been known as antimicrobial agent. Namely substances that can kill or inhibit the growth of microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria.

Various reliable scientific studies also provide evidence of copper's ability to kill microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria that come into contact with its surface.

"Copper has an active substance or Cu ions (copper element), this Cu ion is able to deactivate and damage the virus wall, this is what we call contact killer , "Explained Dr. Deni to Hello Sehat, Monday (8/6).

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The ability of copper to kill viruses was also being investigated by Bill Keevil, a microbiology researcher at the University of Southampton, England. Keevil researched several types of viruses, namely the virus that causes swine flu (H1N1) and the corona virus that causes MERS. As a result, the virus can die within minutes.

In SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, recent research from the University of California shows that the corona virus only lasts a maximum of 4 hours on a copper surface. This is much faster than on a cardboard surface by 24 hours, stainless steel with 42 hours, and plastic with 72 hours.

How is the copper design on the layer mask?

The researchers from LIPI conducted a physical test to determine the strength of copper attached to the disinfector mask cloth. The copper used is pure copper mixed with adhesive.

It took about a month to finally find the right formula for copper to adhere well to the fabric material.

The researchers tried to attach the copper dough they had formulated to three types of fabric, namely cloth spellbound , t-shirts, and cotton. As a result, copper adheres well and is resistant to these three types of fabrics.

"The pieces of cloth are washed (rubbed) and heated and the result is that the pH (acidity) of the water does not change, which means that the copper does not fall out," said Dr. Deni.

After trying them on, they are relatively comfortable to breathe. The copper texture on the cloth feels rough, similar to sandpaper. No need to worry because the copper layer faces forward so it doesn't stick to the user's skin.

This disinfector cloth mask to prevent transmission of COVID-19 is prepared in two designs. First, a mask with a layer of copper attached directly to the front of the mask. Second, the mask with the copper layer is separated from the mask.

This mask is designed to have a pocket for inserting the copper layer, so that it can be put apart by simply changing the copper layer.

Currently, disinfector cloth masks still have to go through several further trials. Researchers hope that disinfector cloth masks can be widely produced and can be used by the public soon. The material for making this mask is also easy to find at affordable prices.

"If it passes all the trials and it can be produced, it is possible that the price will be affordable and can be produced by small-scale industries," said Dr. Deni.

Similar research was carried out in Japan

At the same time, innovative use of copper as a mask coating material is also being developed in Japan. Reporting from the official Facebook account of the Japanese government on Saturday (30/5), this development was carried out by Gunma University in collaboration with a manufacturing company.

What distinguishes it from Indonesia, the research in Japan directly designs copper nets into the shape of masks. Later, this layer can be worn in front of the cloth mask.

Masks are an important suit to wear when doing activities outside the home during this COVID-19 pandemic. Many researchers from many institutions in many countries are looking for an effective mask formula to prevent transmission of COVID-19.