Polylactic acid as a suitable material for 3D printing of protective masks in times of COVID-19 pandemic

PeerJ
Eva VaňkováVladimír Scholtz

Abstract

A critical lack of personal protective equipment has occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Polylactic acid (PLA), a polyester made from renewable natural resources, can be exploited for 3D printing of protective face masks using the Fused Deposition Modelling technique. Since the possible high porosity of this material raised questions regarding its suitability for protection against viruses, we have investigated its microstructure using scanning electron microscopy and aerosol generator and photometer certified as the test system according to the standards EN 143 and EN 149. Moreover, the efficiency of decontaminating PLA surfaces by conventional chemical disinfectants including 96% ethanol, 70% isopropanol, and a commercial disinfectant containing 0.85% sodium hypochlorite has been determined. We confirmed that the structure of PLA protective masks is compact and can be considered a sufficient barrier protection against particles of a size corresponding to microorganisms including viruses. Complete decontamination of PLA surfaces from externally applied Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans and SARS-CoV-2 was achieved using all disinfectants tested, and human adenovirus was completely inactivated by ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 1, 2021·The Science of the Total Environment·Mohamed Ben HaddadAicha Ait Alla
Aug 31, 2021·Journal of 3D Printing in Medicine·Carson StuddersStephanie M Willerth
Nov 27, 2021·Advanced Science·Wei DengSteven Wang

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
PCR
scraping
chemical treatment

Software Mentioned

Trimble Sketchup Pro
xT microscope Control

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