The applications for nanofibre are enormous. However, NanoLayr is focused on developing nanofibre products that make a significant difference in society, have a positive impact on the lives of as many people as possible, and offer a distinct performance edge.

The process for developing a new application at NanoLayr is a complex one, but in short it goes something like this:

There are many steps and finer details in between – and what better way to provide a more in-depth rundown of the process than the example of NanoLayr’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last year, demand for protective facemasks was at an unprecedented level due to the pandemic. As a result, wearing a facemask is now widely accepted in society. However, good quality masks are in even higher demand, yet short supply.

With this in mind, NanoLayr developed a specialist product advancement in the form of an anti-microbial filter application for use in facemasks.

With many non-certified face masks not having the ability to filter out small sized particles, this meant they were not as effective in protecting the wearer against coronavirus which has particles of around 150 nanometre in size.

Nanofibre is incredibly effective at protecting against viruses such as Covid, as well as bacteria and other toxic particles, because the diameter of its fibres range from between 10 – 300 nanometres.

We also discovered that, when non-antimicrobial filters and facemasks capture and harbour microbes, they are prone to contributing to further spread in the environment.

So it was necessary for our new filter application to actively kill the bacteria and viruses that are captured to prevent their repeated spread.

Using our award winning proprietary sonic electrospinning technology manufacturing process, nanofibres have the ability to carry high loadings of functional additives. It was possible to incorporate antimicrobial additives into the nanofibres to provide antibacterial and antiviral functionalities.

To make the air filters even more desirable for use in facemasks, we incorporated naturally occurring non-toxic organic actives such as manuka oil, tea tree oil, and lemongrass (known as terpenoids) into our bactericidal and viricidal air filter media.

These functional actives are bound and contained within the nanofibres resulting in a more durable and longer lasting functional active.

The naturally occurring bioactives are in stark contrast to other products in the market that use antimicrobial agents such as metal and metal oxides which are potentially toxic.