Salt coatings functionalize inert membranes into high-performing filters against infectious respiratory diseases

Rubino, Ilaria; Oh, Euna; Han, Sumin; Kaleem, Sana; Hornig, Alex; Lee, Su-Hwa; Kang, Hae-Ji; Lee, Dong-Hun; Chu, Ki-Back; Kumaran, Surjith; Armstrong, Sarah; Lalani, Romani; Choudhry, Shivanjali; Kim, Chun Il; Quan, Fu-Shi; Jeon, Byeonghwa; Choi, Hyo-Jick

Respiratory protection is key in infection prevention of airborne diseases, as highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic for instance. Conventional technologies have several drawbacks (i.e., cross-infection risk, filtration efficiency improvements limited by difficulty in breathing, and no safe reusability), which have yet to be addressed in a single device. Here, we report the development of a filter overcoming the major technical challenges of respiratory protective devices. Large-pore membranes, offering high breathability but low bacteria capture, were functionalized to have a uniform salt layer on the fibers. The salt-functionalized membranes achieved high filtration efficiency as opposed to the bare membrane, with differences of up to 48%, while maintaining high breathability (> 60% increase compared to commercial surgical masks even for the thickest salt filters tested). The salt-functionalized filters quickly killed Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria aerosols in vitro, with CFU reductions observed as early as within 5 min, and in vivo by causing structural damage due to salt recrystallization. The salt coatings retained the pathogen inactivation capability at harsh environmental conditions (37 °C and a relative humidity of 70%, 80% and 90%). Combination of these properties in one filter will lead to the production of an effective device, comprehensibly mitigating infection transmission globally.