[Southeast University News Network, Feb. 7] Recently, as suggested by Prof. Sun Litao from the School of Electronic Science and Engineering of Southeast University, his cooperator Changzhou Carbon Star Technology Co., Ltd. dispatched 400,000 “graphene-based masks” to Wuhan directly at the fastest speed. Talking about the reason behind, Prof. Sun Litao said, “Honestly, I didn't think too much about it at that time. The first reaction was that we may help when Wuhan is exactly in great need. We’ve conducted scientific researches for many years. If some of our achievements can directly serve the society, it will be the greatest recognition of our efforts.”
This graphene-based KN95 mask was developed by Prof. Sun Litao. In 2016, upon the third-party test, the removal rate of PM2.5 by this mask can reach as high as 97.1%. As introduced, the graphene compound solution is sprayed on the filter screen, which can effectively remove dusts and PM2.5 particles in (dry and wet) air. At present, most masks available on the market adsorb tiny particles by static electricity, but the water vapor that is breathed out will cause the static electricity to disappear, and the adsorption effect will decrease significantly one hour after wearing and finally fail. The graphene-based masks can adsorb tiny particles directly by virtue of the large specific surface area of graphene. From this perspective, there will be possibility of failure due to water vapor andit can maintain a highly efficient absorption rate for a long time. Its protective effect has reached the highest level as stipulated by the new standards in 2016: Grade A.
As introduced by Prof. Sun Litao, COVID-19 would be mainly transmitted through apatter or aerogel formed in the air, similar to ordinary haze particles, therefore, the graphene-based masks feature a good anti-virus function. Before the spring festival, when hearing that masks were urgently demanded in Wuhan, Prof. Sun Litao called the cooperating manufacturer at the first time. Despite the price increase on the market, upon negotiation, the masks in stock were all dispatched to Wuhan at a 30% discount of the lowest wholesale price. Meanwhile, they declined the requests of purchase ofseveral companies with a markup.
(Editor-in-charge: Hang Tian, reviewed by: Song Xiaoyan)
