The best fabrics to work with and the science behind it
Fabric Recommendations
We recommend using 100% cotton in a plain weave with a high thread count, like Quilters Cotton. The cotton fibers are breathable and less irritating.
In the video, Malena breaks down how to pick a fabric.
Accessibility, Layering, and Hybrid Fabrics
a closer look
Accessible Fabrics
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The most accessible fabric many have is 100% cotton and quilters cotton. The biggest difference between the two is the thread count. The higher thread count makes for a tighter weave and this leads to it being more efficient for the fabric filtering particles(1). Other fabrics solutions to face masks may not be accessible as 100% cotton, but can have different benefits. Regardless of the fiber content, woven fabrics should be used when making face masks. Knits such as T-shirts, should NOT be used due to the porous nature of knits. Knits are made by interlooping yarns while woven fabrics are made by weaving yarns up and down creating more intersections that will lead to a tight weave. The best weave to be used is a plain weave due to the maximum amount of intersections where the yarns meet creating the tightest of weaves.
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Layering
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Layering different fabrics such as chiffon, silk, and flannel can help in the effectiveness of filtering our small particles. The layering effect has the potential to be successful though 100% cotton, but different blends of fabrics have different benefits. Fabric such as a chiffon weave with a blend of 90% polyester–10% Spandex fabric and flannel with a blend of 65% cotton–35% polyester can not only be used with the layering effect for filtering but for hybrid fabrics that can be used to help filter the particles via electrostatic(2). However, these fabrics aren’t as easy to wash as cotton and may lead to bacteria problems.
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Hybrid Fabrics
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Hybrid fabrics such as natural, synthetics, and blends can create electrostatic- based filtration. Fabrics such as: chiffon, natural silk, flannel, and polyester all have a greater potential at electrostatic filtration than a 100% cotton fabric. This works as one is taking a breath in and pulls the particle through the mask, the electrostatic charge within the fibers of the hybrid fabric mask holds on to the nano-sized particles preventing them from being inhaled(3). However, these fabrics were a bit of a wild card due to the unknown retention of the electrostatic filtering after washing and the potential for bacteria being able to survive longer in hybrid masks due to the water resistant properties in synthetic fibers.
In Conclusion
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The most accessible and widely used fabric is 100% cotton for the face mask. Even though we found out other hybrid blends may have specialty properties to help with filtering out the virus, they also come with different risks in mask hygiene and making sure the mask is made up of the proper blends of natural and/or synthetic fibers. However, the layering effect in filtering can potentially be achieved through virtually many types of fabrics the question comes back to the cleaning of the fabric to aid with proper filterion and overall health. Thankfully there are filters that can be added to masks to help with the filtration potential for fabrics such as cotton to enhance protection.
other deciding factors
Filtration, Breathability, and Ease of Cleaning
The fabric of the face mask should be able to help with the filtering of particles, but shouldn't be the only thing working to filter the outside air. Most masks should come with the option to put a filter in between the outer and lining fabrics. However, some masks don’t have this because they rely solely on the layering of fabrics to offer the filter protections. The table below explains the Pros and Cons of different masks made with a filtering material versus a mask made with 100% cotton layer and then both methods used together.
Figure 1: Julie Bort, Using blue shop towels in homemade face masks can filter particles 2x to 3x better than cotton, 3 clothing designers discover after testing dozens of fabrics (Business Insider, 2 April 2020)
This study looks at shop towels as a filtering material, however, this and many other different materials that can be effective when filtering out the virus. The overall principle that is being shown, that protection can be built up while using a combination of masks and filters (as well as using a combination of face masks, face shields, social distancing, and proper hand washing.) can be applied to other filtering material.
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Overall, when it comes to the best fabric to filter particles, one needs to look at the whole picture on how the fabric must work together with the filter to help build and customize protection. Cotton masks are easy to breathe in, reuse, and to wash, but should be paired with other PPE (4).
Sources
1-3. Abhiteja Konda et.al, Aerosol Filtration Efficiency of common fabrics used in respiratory cloth masks (ACS Nano, 21 April 2020)
4. Julie Bort, Using blue shop towels in homemade face masks can filter particles 2x to 3x better than cotton, 3 clothing designers discover after testing dozens of fabrics (Business Insider, 2 April 2020)