Prospects for the use of porous composite materials in products for respiratory protection from viral and bacterial infections

The effectiveness of cleaning the air flow from the droplet and dispersed phases of liquids, which are the main medium for transporting most respiratory viruses from the carrier to the infected person, was assessed. Samples of Cribrol, polymer composite with a three-dimensional fractal mesh structure of through and non-through pores from 5 to 150 μm, were examined. The experiments showed high hygroscopic properties of this material, providing moisture absorption of more than 700 % of the dry weight of the test sample. It has been found that Cribrol can undergo thermal decontamination in heating devices and can be used repeatedly. This material has been concluded to be promising for use in PPE, and its structure can easily be adapted to various respiratory personal protective equipment (PPE).