Bioplastics

The traditional N95 mask includes a nonwoven plastic fiber layer that is charged using the electrospinning process. Our mask replaces the standard polypropylene used here with bioplastic fibers. Using the same electrospinning process as the traditional mask, we electrospin bioplastic to create a charged, nonwoven fibrous layer. As the bioplastic is prepared in the liquid phase, we electrospin it, allowing us to obtain bioplastic fibers that can then be used to create the charged bioplastic layer.

Since we were unable to electrospin our bioplastic in the time we had this quarter, we used an air filter as a placeholder in our prototype.