Who invented the N95 mask filter?

We never thanked the man behind the great invention i.e., the N95 mask filter. Have you ever thought about who invented the N95 mask filter? Was it an accidental discovery? or Was it decades of hard work of anyone?

We can't imagine our present without a mask. In the early phase of covid-19 when we were unknown to this deadly disease all we could do is wearing masks. Every one of us preferred N95 mask filters over simple cloth or polyester masks. What are these N95 masks? What makes them the choice of time? and Who invented them?

Before the invention of the N95 mask, research was by many scientists carried to develop a mask that can purify sir to its utmost level. Many masks were developed but they were not as efficient as expected. In 1992, Peter Tsai developed and invented the N95 filter mask.

Who is Peter Tsai?

Peter Tsai is a Taiwanese-American material scientist who invented and patented the famous N95 filter mask. He is an expert in nonwoven fabrics. Tsai was a Professor Emeritus at the University of Tennessee, but during Couvid-19 he voluntarily gave retirement and continued his research on N95 mask sterilization.

How Peter Tsai invented the N95 mask?

Peter Tsai is by birth a Chinese scientist. He came to the U.S. from Taiwan in 1981 to study at Kansas State University. There he went to get a doctorate in material science and earned 500 credit points. which “is equivalent to six Ph.Ds.. Credit points are just like required marks to qualify a subject.

In the 1990s, Tsai invented a material synthetic polymer fiber. This material made the N95 mask possible. Tsai never expected that a decade later his invention would save millions of lives.

In 1992 while at the University of Tennessee, Tsai and his team start a project to develop an electrostatic filtration technology. Their project got successful and led another path for the N95 mask. Electrostatic filtration technology enables to make of such a material that contains both positive and negative charges. These charges help to attract particles of dust, virus, and bacteria and prevent them from entering the nose or mouth. The positive and negative charges in the material of the N95 mask work on the principle of polarization. In polarization, The positive charge within the material becomes permanently displaced in the direction of the field, and the negative charge becomes permanently displaced in the direction opposite to the field. This anti-parallel direction helps to block foreign agents from entering in mouth and nose. It was patented in the U.S. in 1995.

What does the N stand for the N95 respirator mask?

The N stands for 'Not resistant to oil' and the evaluation requirements for the N95 masks. So, it's not recommended in the oil mills, oil refinery plants, and at those places where oil work is happening. It's won't protect you from oil contamination. It only blocks dust, virus, and bacteria, not oils. And 95 stands for 95% effective against dust, virus, and bacteria.

What was the original purpose of the N95 mask?

Tsai had never thought that his invention will do such a great help to humankind as it did in Corona times. But, do you know the N9 was not purposely made for everyday use like we do today? The N95 mask we use today was made for construction workers. It was designed for them in the real sense. The N95 was made so this could protect the miners and the construction workers from dust and viral respiratory infection caused due to cement, dust, and other stuff.

How many layers are in the N95 mask?

The N95 mask is made up of four layers of material; an outer layer of spun-bond polypropylene, the second layer of cellulose/polyester, the third layer of melt-blown polypropylene filter material, and an inner (fourth) layer of spun-bound polypropylene.

How do I know if my N95 mask is real?

Original N95 masks have a particular serial no that is preceded by letters TC and have a well-labeled model no. and lot no.