The effect of washing cycles on the efficiency of fabric masks treated with hydroxyapatite

The outbreak of the corona virus, which began in late 2019, has led to a significant increase in the demand for face masks. Fabric masks are the simplest type of masks that can be used to protect against the virus. Today, compounds such as hydroxyapatite used to improve the performance of masks. These material do have any toxic effect in the body and are suitable biocompatible with body tissues. In this article, spunbond non-woven fabric treated with hydroxyapatite and it used as middle layer in three layer masks whereas inner and outer layers were fabricated with two types of weft knitted and plain. After preparing the masks, the designed simulated device was used to measure the passage of pollutants in the air. On the other hand, the effect of washing cycles on the performance of these types of masks was investigated. The results showed that for all three mask layers (inner-middle-outer), the effect of mask structure and washing cycle on weight changes is significant. In addition, the results showed that the masks containing middle layer treated with hydroxy apatite nano-structure doped with ZnO nanoparticles have the highest air permeability.