Como o Uso de M\'ascaras Ajudou no Combate a COVID Durante a Pandemia nos Anos de 2020-2022. An\'alise Comparativa da Estrutura de Filtragem das M\'ascaras

TL;DR

This study compares the filtration structures of cloth, surgical, and PFF2 masks using electron microscopy to understand their effectiveness in blocking viruses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contribution

It provides a detailed structural analysis of different mask types, highlighting their filtration capabilities against nanometric particles.

Findings

PFF2 masks have the most intricate filtration layers.

Surgical masks offer better filtration than cloth masks.

All masks can block particles smaller than their pores.

Abstract

The use of facial masks played a pivotal role in combating COVID-19 during the pandemic period, particularly in the absence of vaccines for the disease. This study elucidates how this type of equipment can effectively contain viruses and bacteria of nanometric dimensions, smaller than the pores of the masks themselves. To achieve this, three types of masks were chosen: cloth, surgical, and PFF2 masks. In order to compare the structure of each, a scanning electron microscopy analysis was conducted, revealing the intricate filtration layers within each mask type.