Study of the incorporation of microchannels in PDMS
Renata Diehl
Abstract
The use of masks has been used to combat
the new coronavirus in preventing the spread of the disease. In addition to the
necessary use of masks by those infected with the virus, health professionals
were the main victims of this pandemic, and it is possible to observe that at
the end of long periods they had bruises and dermatitis caused by this
protective equipment on their faces. The I9MASKS project sought alternatives so
that such problems could be remedied, giving more comfort to people and
professionals.
One of the problems encountered in the
constant use of masks is related to the misting and condensation of water
droplets expelled during breathing, requiring a study of alternatives to solve
such adversity. In this context, the work developed was based on the study of
the incorporation of microchannels in the PDMS, so that there was a region of
air circulation.
The work developed is based on a mold
printed on a 3D printer in the format of channels and in Poysmooth material
that were later incorporated into the manufacture of the PDMS with a 10: 1
ratio, which after curing was subjected to a bath in isopropyl alcohol, which
provided the removing the Polysmooth filament through degradation.
At the end of this study we will try to
demonstrate that it is possible to solve problems of condensation and
breathability through micro-holes incorporated in the mask manufactured with
the combination of 3D printing and degradation.