HIGH EFFICIENCY PARTICLE COLLECTION MEMBRANES WITH HIGH AIR AND MOISTURE PERMEABILITY: CHARACTERIZATION, MODELING AND LARGE-AREA DEPOSITION HIGH EFFICIENCY PARTICLE COLLECTION MEMBRANES WITH HIGH AIR AND MOISTURE PERMEABILITY: CHARACTERIZATION, MODELING A

ABSTRACT Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) has developed, characterized and modeled the performance of nonwoven membranes for percutaneous protection. The membranes, composed of polymer fibers deposited by electrospinning, collect particles and aerosols over the size range of 0.2-1.0 micrometers with high efficiencies while maintaining the high air and moisture permeabilities required for wearer comfort. The membranes' high surface-to-volume ratio also provides a platform for the inclusion of reactive species for self-detoxification functionality. PSI has developed a prototype system for covering large substrate areas. For membranes with mean fiber diameters between 700 and 850 nm, a filtration efficiency of 98% was found at an areal density of 2.9 mg/cm 2 for 0.3 µm diameter particles. Membranes with areal densities up to 1.5 mg/cm 2 were found to have low water vapor diffusion resistances of about 1 sec/m, indicating that the coatings can be spun onto conventional fabrics and provide protection while retaining high breathability