VIRUSES AND THEIR PENETRATION THROUGH FIBROUS STRUCTURES: A REVIEW

Abstract

In the first part of this review the necessary information about structure and chemical composition of viruses are briefly discussed on the basic level. Main types of interaction of viruses with human cells are briefly described. The basic method of suppressing the spread of viruses from the surroundings of a healthy person and into the surroundings of an infected person is the use of protective equipment, especially face masks and respirators, where the active element is a fibrous structure. The protective functions of these structures depend on their composition (usually hydrophobic materials), construction (fabrics, knitted fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, nano-meshes), morphology (porosity, thickness, pore distribution), the form of virus propagation (usually in water droplets as a type of aerosol), interaction conditions with the surface of the protective layer (speed of impact, conditions of capture on the surface of the fibrous phase, speed of penetration) and the method of virus inactivation (usually contact or very short-range interaction). It is therefore a very complicated problem that is often solved using a combination of mathematical modeling and simulation. The purpose is to present some methods of solving problems related to the protective function of fiber structures, which allow the specification of the suitability of these structures for real use.