Active force electric field anti-pathogenic fabric and methods of charging and deactivating pathogen particles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fabrics for pathogen protection are either disposable and wasteful or complex and expensive, lacking a reusable solution that can effectively remove pathogens from the environment without additional components like UV lights.
Innovation Solution
A fabric device with interwoven hemp fibers, photocatalytic layers, and copper naphthenate particles that charge and capture pathogens, using an electric field to prevent them from reaching the wearer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If disposable protective fabrics are used to filter pathogens, then pathogen protection is provided, but material waste increases and reusability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The fabric's electrical charge parameter is dynamically adjusted through copper naphthenate particles that transfer charge to the fabric. This allows the fabric to maintain anti-pathogenic properties through charge renewal rather than replacement, enabling reuse while maintaining protection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines natural fibers (cotton, wool, silk) with copper naphthenate particles to create a composite fabric structure. The natural fibers provide the fabric base while the copper particles provide renewable anti-pathogenic charge, creating a reusable composite material that maintains protection without disposable limitations
2Loss of substance
If reusable cloth fabrics are used, then material waste is reduced, but effectiveness against particle transmission requires additional disposable filter material
Solution Approach 1:
The fabric is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the structural barrier and the active anti-pathogenic agent through its electrical charge. The copper naphthenate-treated fabric replaces the need for separate disposable filter layers by providing both mechanical filtration and electrostatic pathogen neutralization in a single reusable component
3Reliability
If UV lights or irradiation devices are used to impart charge on mesh, then pathogen removal capability is achieved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fabric serves itself by using copper naphthenate particles that naturally transfer electrical charge to the fabric fibers during wear and movement. This self-charging mechanism eliminates the need for external UV lights or irradiation devices, reducing device complexity while maintaining pathogen removal capability through continuous charge generation
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the charging function from external devices (UV lights, irradiation equipment) and integrates it directly into the fabric material itself through copper naphthenate particles. This extraction simplifies the overall system by removing complex external charging components while maintaining the essential pathogen removal function
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The fabric effectively captures and deactivates pathogens, allowing for reusable protection without additional components, reducing waste and manufacturing complexity.
Implementation Method 1
the at least one copper naphthenate particle and/or the photocatalytic layer may be configured to impart an electrical charge onto the at least one of the plurality of pathogenic particles
Implementation Method 2
subsequent to charging the at least one of the plurality of pathogenic particles, the method may include the step of, capturing, via the second fiber layer and/or the first fiber layer, at least one of the plurality of charged pathogenic particles
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein relates to an active force electric field anti-pathogenic fabric device and methods thereof used to remove pathogens from an environment surrounding the fabric. The device may be woven into daily clothing items, personal protective equipment, and/or other clothing items typically worn by a user. The device may include a current-carrying mesh that may be coated with active materials used to remove pathogens from the air. As such, the device may operate as an anti-pathogenic material that may be used to remove harmful particles from an area surrounding a user. Accordingly, microorganisms, smoke particles, industrial pollutants, odor molecules, and/or allergens may be structurally disassociated into harmless protein fragments and/or natural molecules when encountering the purifying agents in the device.