Coronavirus
Technology Solutions
NXTNano, LLC
Installing Three
Additional
HYPR-Spun
Nanofiber
Production Lines
Nanofibers for
Fit, Function,
and
Sustainability
Pursued at
Cornell
_____________________________________________________________________________
NXTNano, LLC
Installing Three
Additional
HYPR-Spun
Nanofiber
Production Lines
NXTNano, LLC has
begun to install
three additional
HYPR-Spun
Nanofiber
production
lines. The first
of the lines is
expected to be
operational in
June, and all
three within the
year. The new
lines will take
their total line
count to six,
and like their
existing
production
lines, the
newest equipment
will facilitate
high volume
nanofiber
manufacturing up
to a maximum
roll width of
2.15 meters.
“2020 was an
incredible year
for NXTNano. We
saw rapid
adoption of the
technology in to
a number of new
markets, and
more importantly
we have a social
obligation to
continue serving
our mask,
respirator, and
indoor air
purification
customers who
have taken up
the fight
against COVID.
In
existing markets
we expected
COVID to produce
a pronounced
slowdown, but
that never
materialized.
As a
result of the
growth and new
projects moving
to commercial
sales, the time
has arrived for
us to add
capacity” said
Andrew McDowell,
NXTNano, LLC’s
Director of
Sales.
The number of
markets
commercially
consuming
nanofiber has
continued to
exhibit strong
growth, and
according to
industry
reports, is
expected to
continue this
trend.
Industry
wide forecasts
for CAGR are
expected to be
above 36% though
2023. This level
of growth,
combined with
their unique
focus on
application
know-how has
allowed NxtNano
to lead the pack
in both
innovation and
economics based
adoption.
“I’ve spent
nearly my entire
career in
nonwovens and
filtration, over
30 years now,
and the last
nine months have
been unique to
anything I’ve
seen before”
Said Alan
Smithies,
NxtNano’s VP of
technology. “The
growth has not
been without
challenges, but
I firmly believe
we as a company
have stepped
forward and
embraced them.
Our head count
is now over 80
people, more
than two and a
half times what
it was in 2019,
and we are
putting out full
truckloads of
material every
day. Our
customers have
been absolutely
phenomenal in
working with us
to execute
innovative
products the
market
desperately
needed, and for
that, I must
give them
credit. These
new lines are
our commitment
to ensuring they
continue to
succeed.
Four Hundred
Million Infected
People in India
and One Billion
At Risk
India became the
country with the
world’s second
highest number
of
confirmed COVID-19 cases
on Monday,
surpassing
Brazil, and now
second only to
the United
States. But
experts say that
low testing in
the country
suggests the
real total is
far higher than
both.
India now has
13.5 million
confirmed cases,
compared to
the U.S.’s 31.1
million. The
country is
currently in the
midst of a
second wave of
the virus, with
confirmed daily
infections
reaching an
all-time high of
168,912 on
Monday.
But the official
numbers only
tell part of the
story, according
to multiple
studies. “From
what has been
reported, I
think India
definitely has
the most
infections in
the world,” says
Ramanan
Laxminarayan,
director of the
Washington,
D.C.-based
Center for
Disease
Dynamics,
Economics and
Policy.
At the start of
the pandemic,
health experts
had predicted
that India, with
a population
more than four
times the size
of the U.S.,
would quickly
become the
world’s
worst-hit
country—especially
given
that China, the
only country in
the world with a
larger
population,
mounted an
effective
campaign to
suppress the
virus. But bad
outbreaks in the
U.S.
and Brazil meant
India never
officially
reached that
point.
India’s first
wave of COVID-19
infections
peaked in
September, then
began a steady
decline. New
infections began
to tick up again
in March, and
every day since
April 7 the
country has
recorded more
new cases than
at the height of
its first wave
last year. India
has also begun a
vaccination
drive,
announcing on
Sunday that more
than 100 million
doses have been
administered,
mostly to
over-60s and
frontline
workers.
Monday’s
milestone came
as thousands of
Hindu devotees,
many of them
maskless,
gathered at the
city of Haridwar
on the banks of
the River Ganges
to mark the Maha
Kumbh Mela
festival. Health
experts had
called for the
festival, one of
the largest
religious
gatherings in
the world, to be
canceled. But
authorities said
the pilgrimage
would go ahead
for those able
to produce
negative
COVID-19 tests.
Photographs from
Monday showed
large crowds
gathering to
bathe in the
Ganges, with
police powerless
to enforce
social
distancing
measures. “We
are continuously
appealing to
people to follow
COVID-19
appropriate
behavior. But
due to the huge
crowd, it is
practically not
possible,” said
a police officer
in Haridwar, according
to Al Jazeera.
The number of
confirmed
COVID-19 deaths
in India stands
at just over
170,000, the
fourth-highest
in the world,
behind the U.S.,
Brazil and
Mexico. But
those numbers
too might not
tell the whole
story. Even
before the
pandemic, as few
as 21% of deaths
in India were
recorded by a
medical
professional
along with a
cause of death,
according to the
World Health
Organization.
“If you’re
undercounting
cases by a
factor of 30, is
it possible that
we’re
undercounting
deaths as well?”
says
Laxminarayan.
“Of course. For
80% of deaths,
we have no
medically
identified cause
of death at any
given time.”
As a percentage
of the total
number of cases,
the official
death numbers
put India’s case
fatality rate at
around 1.25%,
lower than the
United States
(1.8%), Brazil
(2.6%) and
others. The
Indian
government has
focused on these
numbers in
public
pronouncements
as evidence of
success in
tackling the
virus. Just as
the country’s
second wave
began to take
off in March,
a report by
India’s health
ministry cast
the situation in
positive terms.
“Today we have
least number of
COVID-19 cases,
highest recovery
rate, least
number of deaths
due to COVID-19
and now moving
towards a
Greater Win by
developing
Vaccines against
the dreaded
disease,” it
said.
Part of the
reason for
India’s low
death rate is
its young
population, more
than half of
whom are under
the age of 25.
Younger people
are less likely
to suffer severe
reactions to
COVID-19, or to
die from the
disease.
Experts worry
that the Indian
government has
used statistics
pointing to high
recovery rates
from the
virus to paint a
picture of
Indians as a
whole being more
immune to
COVID-19. But
calculations by
the Center for
Disease
Dynamics,
Economics &
Policy show that
Indians between
the ages of 30
and 70 are in
fact more likely
to die from the
disease than
people of
similar ages in
China, the U.S.,
and Brazil. “It
is a myth that
Indians have a
lower fatality
rate,” says
Laxminarayan.
“That is simply
not true. It is
not borne out by
the data.”
New Variants in
India Could be
Trouble
After genome
sequencing of
over 10,000
COVID-19 cases
in India,
researchers have
discovered a new
variant with two
new mutations
which may be
better at
evading the
immune system.
In 15-20% of
samples from the
Indian state of
Maharashtra (the
state accounting
for 62% of cases
in the country)
a new, double
mutation in key
areas of the
virus has been
detected. These
are now known as
the E484Q and
L452R mutations.
Both these
mutations are
concerning
because they are
located in a key
portion of the
virus – the
spike protein –
that it uses to
penetrate human
cells. Spike
proteins attach
via a “receptor
binding domain”,
meaning the
virus can attach
to receptors in
our cells.
These new
mutations
include changes
to the spike
protein that
make it a
“better fit” for
human cells.
This means the
virus can gain
entry more
easily and
multiply faster.
Given what we
have seen
with other
similar
mutations, it
might also make
it harder for
our immune
system to
recognize the
virus due to its
slightly
different shape.
This means our
immune system
may not be able
to recognize the
virus as
something it has
to produce
antibodies
against.
The emergence of
these new
variants has
only been
possible because
of the continued
viral
replication in
areas with high
circulation.
Though
the Indian
government has
said the data on
the variants
circulating in
India (including
this new Indian
variant and
others including
the UK strain)
are not
sufficient to
link them to the
rapid increase
in the number of
cases in the
country, we
think it’s the
most likely
explanation. The
country had
managed to bring
down the rate in
February, but a
sudden increase
in the number of
reported cases
is now being
reported.
The implications
of these
developments are
greatly
concerning – not
just for India,
but for the rest
of the world.
Mutations can
result in 20%
more in-hospital
deaths, as we
witnessed during
the second wave
in South Africa.
This is because
some mutant
variants have
the ability to
spread faster,
resulting in
sudden surges
and, therefore,
an overburdened
health system.
But there’s
hope. Places
around the world
with higher
vaccination
coverage such as
the UK and
Israel are
witnessing
a steady
decrease in
cases.
Most of the
currently
approved
vaccines around
the world have
been found to
evoke an immune
response to some
extent against
multiple
variants. But no
trials have yet
been undertaken
on the
effectiveness of
vaccines against
these new Indian
mutations.
To make it
difficult for
the mutant
strains to
develop vaccine
resistance, we
have to ensure
wider and faster
vaccine coverage
across the
world.
Apart from
vaccine
manufacturers’
efforts to
update the
composition of
vaccines to
better deal with
new strains, it
is important to
contain
transmission
across the
world. Countries
can use the
World Health
Organization’s
SARS-CoV-2 Risk
Monitoring and
Evaluation
Framework to
help identify,
monitor and
assess variants
of concern,
swiftly.
To establish a
direct link
between a
variant and a
steep rise in
cases in a short
time, it is
important to use
genomic
sequencing to
link clusters
together. But
unless contact
tracing is done
meticulously, it
isn’t easy to do
so.
It is also
important to
understand the
mechanisms
involved in the
infectiousness
and virulence of
the newer
variants. For
this, lab models
are needed to
mimic spread and
virulence
mechanisms
efficiently.
To combat the
consequences of
mutations in
India, its
pandemic
response will
have to
incorporate
several
measures.
Genomic
surveillance
will have to be
proactive and
coincide with
the
epidemiological
investigation of
the cluster of
cases for early
identification
and swift
action.
As some variants
can escape
naturally
induced
immunity,
vaccine
manufacturers in
India will need
to develop
better vaccines
to cover these
new variants.
Ongoing
surveillance and
containment
measures need to
be strengthened
to prevent the
emergence of new
variants by
minimizing viral
replication.
And finally,
swift and rapid
vaccine coverage
is not only
necessary but
essential for
ensuring any
modest levels of
success in
tackling this
pandemic.
Centrifugal
Multispinning
Could Be 300
Times Faster
Than
Electrospinning
KAIST
researchers have
developed a
novel nanofiber
production
technique called
'centrifugal
multispinning'
that will open
the door for the
safe and
cost-effective
mass production
of
high-performance
polymer
nanofibers. This
new technique,
which has shown
up to a 300
times higher
nanofiber
production rate
per hour than
that of the
conventional
electrospinning
method, has many
potential
applications
including the
development of
face mask
filters for
coronavirus
protection.
Nanofibers make
good face mask
filters because
their mechanical
interactions
with aerosol
particles give
them a greater
ability to
capture more
than 90% of
harmful
particles such
as fine dust and
virus-containing
droplets.
The impact of
the COVID-19
pandemic has
further
accelerated the
growing demand
in recent years
for a better
kind of face
mask. A polymer
nanofiber-based
mask filter that
can more
effectively
block harmful
particles has
also been in
higher demand as
the pandemic
continues.
'Electrospinning'
has been a
common process
used to prepare
fine and uniform
polymer
nanofibers, but
in terms of
safety,
cost-effectiveness,
and mass
production, it
has several
drawbacks. The
electrospinning
method requires
a high-voltage
electric field
and electrically
conductive
target, and this
hinders the safe
and
cost-effective
mass production
of polymer
nanofibers.
In response to
this
shortcoming,
'centrifugal
spinning' that
utilizes
centrifugal
force instead of
high voltage to
produce polymer
nanofibers has
been suggested
as a safer and
more
cost-effective
alternative to
the
electrospinning.
Easy scalability
is another
advantage, as
this technology
only requires a
rotating
spinneret and a
collector.
However, since
the existing
centrifugal
force-based
spinning
technology
employs only a
single rotating
spinneret,
productivity is
limited and not
much higher than
that of some
advanced
electrospinning
technologies
such as
'multi-nozzle
electrospinning'
and 'nozzle less
electrospinning.'
This problem
persists even
when the size of
the spinneret is
increased.
Inspired by
these
limitations, a
research team
led by Professor
Do Hyun Kim from
the Department
of Chemical and
Biomolecular
Engineering at
KAIST developed
a centrifugal
multispinning
spinneret with
mass-producibility,
by sectioning a
rotating
spinneret into
three sub-disks.
This study was
published as a
front cover
article of ACS
Macro Letters,
Volume 10, Issue
3 in March 2021.
Using this new
centrifugal
multispinning
spinneret with
three sub-disks,
the lead author
of the paper PhD
candidate Byeong
Eun Kwak and his
fellow
researchers Hyo
Jeong Yoo and
Eungjun Lee
demonstrated the
gram-scale
production of
various polymer
nanofibers with
a maximum
production rate
of up to 25
grams per hour,
which is
approximately
300 times higher
than that of the
conventional
electrospinning
system. The
production rate
of up to 25
grams of polymer
nanofibers per
hour corresponds
to the
production rate
of about 30 face
mask filters per
day in a
lab-scale
manufacturing
system.
By integrating
the
mass-produced
polymer
nanofibers into
the form of a
mask filter, the
researchers were
able to
fabricate face
masks that have
comparable
filtration
performance with
the KF80 and
KF94 face masks
that are
currently
available in the
Korean market.
The KF80 and
KF94 masks have
been approved by
the Ministry of
Food and Drug
Safety of Korea
to filter out at
least 80% and
94% of harmful
particles,
respectively.
"When our system
is scaled up
from the lab
scale to an
industrial
scale, the
large-scale
production of
centrifugal
multispun
polymer
nanofibers will
be made
possible, and
the cost of
polymer
nanofiber-based
face mask
filters will
also be lowered
dramatically,"
Kwak explained.
This work was
supported by the
KAIST-funded
Global
Singularity
Research Program
for 2020.
Nanofibers for
Fit, Function,
and
Sustainability
Pursued at
Cornell
Even as the
vaccine roll-out
picks up speed,
the end of face
masks in public
could be a year
or more away as
questions of
transmissibility
post-vaccine and
effectiveness
against emerging
strains remain.
One thing is
clear: when it
comes to fit,
function,
fashion, and
sustainability,
current face
masks leave a
lot of room for
improvement.
Multiple ongoing
research
projects in the
College of Human
Ecology’s
Department of
Fiber Science &
Apparel Design
(FSAD) aim to
improve the
efficiency,
breathability,
comfort and
environmental
costs of face
masks. The six
projects, five
funded through
the Cornell
Atkinson Center
for
Sustainability,
highlight the
depth and
breadth of the
research done in
the only Ivy
League
department that
brings fiber
scientists,
design experts,
fashion
creatives, fiber
artists, and
social
scientists
together in one
program.
Dropped or
discarded
disposable face
masks are a
commonplace
sight these
days. Made of
petroleum-based
polypropylene
fibers, disposal
surgical and N95
masks are bad
for the
environment and
the wildlife in
it. Their
singular
function is to
provide a
physical barrier
against viruses
and bacteria,
which can
collect on the
outside and
inside of the
mask.
Associate
Professor Tamer
Uyar,
his postdoctoral
researcher Asli
Celebioglu and
undergraduate
students in his
lab are
developing
biodegradable
nanofiber mask
inserts with
naturally
antibacterial
materials to
lighten the
environmental
costs of masks
and improve
their
functionality.
The nanofiber
inserts have a
nano-porous
structure with
pore sizes that
are much smaller
than the size of
viruses and
bacteria, making
them an
excellent
physical barrier
to COVID-19. In
addition, these
nanofibrous mask
inserts have
antibacterial
properties,
offering users
protection
against bacteria
they encounter
or exhale
throughout the
day.
“Face masks can
be a good
platform for
bacteria to
attach itself,
not only
creating health
concerns, but
they can also
produce bad
odor, which
makes the face
mask
uncomfortable,”
Uyar said.
There are
already masks
that boast
antimicrobial
properties, but
they come with a
steep cost to
the environment.
“They use silver
nanoparticles,
which is a very
good
antimicrobial
agent, but at
the same time,
it creates a
huge problem for
the environment
when it gets
into the water
stream,” Uyar
explained.
“There are many
good bacteria
out there that
clean lakes,
rivers and soils
from pollutants
by
bioremediation,
but the silver
nanoparticles
kill them. We’re
making our
nanofiber
inserts
biodegradable
and
antimicrobial
without using
silver
nanoparticles,
which makes them
better for the
user and for the
environment.”
The students in
Uyar’s lab are
at work
producing
nanofiber
inserts that he
hopes to
distribute for
wear-testing
this spring. He
said combining
his
biodegradable
and
antimicrobial
nanofiber
inserts with the
innovations in
design and fit
taking place in
the rest of the
department could
result in masks
that block 99
percent of
airborne
particles,
making them more
effective than
the current
gold-standard
N95 masks.
One such
innovation is a
project from
Associate
Professor Juan
Hinestroza to
create
personalized
masks using face
scans.
Hinestroza’s lab
would create an
algorithm that
takes a three
dimensional
object (the
face) and
translates it
into a two
dimensional item
(the mask)
which, when
worn, becomes a
three
dimensional
item. The scans
would be sent to
a manufacturing
machine, such as
an online
retailer or even
the local copy
shop, that would
make a mask
customized to
the unique
characteristics
of the user.
This would make
the masks more
effective, more
comfortable, and
decrease waste.
“Instead of
having to
mass-produce
masks that don’t
fit anyone very
well, and I’ve
seen orders for
10 million masks
that are all the
same when we all
have different
faces, we could
create a mask
that fits the
individual’s
profile
perfectly,”
Hinestroza said.
He is applying
for funding to
pay students to
work on the
complicated math
required to
create the
algorithm.
Hinestroza sees
this kind of
on-demand
fabrication
technology as
the future of
clothing
manufacturing
that will
provide items
fit perfectly to
individual
shapes and
sizes, while
decreasing the
massive amounts
of waste created
by the fashion
industry and
improve
conditions for
factory workers.
They conducted a
demographically
representative
survey of
18-24-year-olds
back in August,
asking
respondents
about their
mask-wearing
habits,
preferences, and
experiences. The
survey results
revealed a
wide-range of
information,
from how
mask-wearing or
not-wearing
lined up with
geographic
location, race,
gender, or
political
affiliation, to
what
improvements
respondents
would most like
to see in mask
design and
construction.
Over half of
those surveyed
wanted more
breathable
fabrics and a
little over
two-thirds
wanted a better
fit.
“Understanding
user experience
will help us to
improve design,”
Green said.
“Through better
design – which
brings comfort,
efficacy, and
aesthetics
together – we’ll
improve mask
compliance and
help to mitigate
the spread of
COVID-19.”
Kozen is working
on another
project with
Associate
Professor Huiju
Park and Senior
Lecturer Kim
Phoenix wear-testing
three popular
styles of masks
to elicit data
on comfort
factors that
affect user
willingness to
wear masks for a
full day.
“Wear testing is
used to evaluate
consumer
perceptions of
garment
comfort,” Kozen
said, “as
laboratory
measures of
textile
properties or
fit are
one-dimensional
and may not
correlate well
with the actual
experience of
moving in a
garment over a
period of time.
It is a helpful
tool for
development of
performance
apparel and
could be
employed to
assess designs
or materials
developed by
other teams in
FSAD.”
Kozen said they
are about
halfway through
data collection,
asking about
issues like heat
build-up,
fogging,
difficulty
enunciating
clearly through
masks, and
breathability.
Better masks for
children:
Children have a
high risk of
self-contamination
when taking off
and putting on
their masks due
to limited
dexterity. They
have difficulty
maintaining
social
distancing in
classrooms and
their
respiration rate
is 30% higher
than adults.
That means
longer exposure
to airborne
particulates and
more chance to
spread the virus
to other people.
Project leader
Huiju Park is
working with
Frey, Assistant
Professor Fatma
Baytar, Goodge
and other
graduate and
undergraduate
students on four
goals: improving
the design of
children’s face
masks,
developing a
head form and
size guidelines
based on
anthropometric
data,
identifying
optimal fabric
and layer
structure, and
producing
educational
materials on
best practices
and fabric
choices for
caregivers,
childcare
workers,
teachers and
healthcare
workers.
Utilizing an
online survey,
Park collected
data on some of
the biggest
concerns and
complaints from
people
responsible for
caring for
children ages
4-6 in one
capacity or
another. The
major issues
reported related
to sizing and
fit.
“Simply
downsizing an
adult face mask
does not work,”
Park said.
“Children’s face
and head shape
proportions
differ
significantly
from adult
proportions.
Children
experience fit
issues with
commercial face
masks, mostly
revolving around
general
oversizing, lack
of depth for
facial features,
and few shaping
considerations
around the sides
and bottom of
the mask that
could help to
prevent air
gaps.”
Park’s team is
working to
develop methods
for evaluating
mask fit by
using 3D body
scanning
technology and
3D virtual
modeling, which
will give them
data to improve
fit.
Using the
simulated
breathing
apparatus
developed by
Frey and Goodge,
adjusted for the
higher
respiratory rate
of children,
this project
tested the
filtration
efficacy of
available masks
for
children--data
that can be used
to further
improve the
design of masks.
While there has
been some mixed
messaging and
lack of
information
around the risks
of COVID-19 in
children, Park
pointed out that
children
experiencing
even a mild
infection can
spread the virus
and there are
still too many
unknowns on the
effects to
children.
“Infected
children go
through not only
some typical
symptoms, such
as fever and
breathing
difficulty, but
some experience
Multisystem
inflammatory
syndrome in
children
(MIS-C), which
is a very rare,
new, unknown
symptom.
Unfortunately,
there is no
proven medicine
or effective
medical solution
to this rare
symptom as it is
just so new.
Nobody seems to
have enough
knowledge about
this symptom and
how it would
impact
children’s
health from
short-term and
long-term
perspectives.
This is another
reason that
offering
adequate
protection
through improved
design of
children’s masks
is important.”
Park, an expert
in protective
and performance
apparel, will
turn next to
creating a
children’s face
mask design
based on the
data his team
collected along
with the results
of Frey’s fabric
tests.
FSAD Professor
and Chair Yasser
Gowayed said
there are other
research
programs around
the world with
projects working
to identify and
solve the
problems and
shortcomings of
face masks, but
none with FSAD’s
depth and
breadth.
“FSAD is unique
because we do
not study the
problem from a
single point of
view. We
integrate the
social impact,
the behavioral
science and the
physical
science. This is
only feasible
because FSAD has
scholars in
these fields who
can speak a
common language
and work
together to
present
solutions that
are not only
efficient, but
also grounded in
reality.”
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