Electrostatically charged filter media incorporating an active agent

Abstract

There is provided a protective media and a method of manufacturing the same. In one aspect, the protective media includes a porous dielectric carrier, an active agent incorporated in the porous dielectric carrier, and an electrostatic charge across at least a portion of the porous dielectric carrier. This innovative media is capable of eradicating microorganisms and/or toxins more efficiently than prior art solutions and can also self-sterilize.

1 . A method of making a non-woven material, including:
 i. providing an extruder having an outlet;   ii. providing a collecting web below the outlet of said extruder;   iii. providing a hot melt of extrudable material;   iv. extruding said extrudable material with said extruder to provide a flow of cooling extruded fibers to fall toward said collecting web; and   v. providing a cloud of an active agent at a location adjacent said outlet of said extruder so that said cloud envelops the cooling fibers while said fibers are still in a quasi-liquid quasi-solid state so that said active agent settles and collects and is intermeshed or entrapped with said fibers on the collecting web forming a media, wherein said active agent is a halogenated resin.   
     
     
         2 . The method of making a non-woven material as defined in  claim 1  further including forming said media into a mesh. 
     
     
         3 . The method of making a non-woven material as defined in  claim 1  in which said cloud is in a physical state selected from the group consisting of a vapor, a fine dry dust, an atomized particulate and an aerosolized particulate. 
     
     
         4 . The method of making a non-woven material as defined in  claim 2  further including the step of applying an electric charge across said mesh. 
     
     
         5 . A method of making a non-woven material, including:
 i. providing an extruder having an outlet;   ii. providing a collecting web below the outlet of said extruder;   iii. providing a reservoir of extrudable material;   iv. extruding said extrudable material with said extruder to provide a flow of extruded fibers to fall toward said collecting web; and   v. providing a cloud of an active agent at a location adjacent said flow of extruded fibers so that said cloud envelops the fibers while said fibers are falling so that said active agent settles and collects and is intermeshed or entrapped with said fibers on the collecting web forming a media, wherein said active agent is a halogenated resin.   
     
     
         6 . The method of making a non-woven material as defined in  claim 5  further including forming said media into a mesh. 
     
     
         7 . The method of making a non-woven material as defined in  claim 5  in which said cloud is in a physical state selected from the group consisting of a vapor, a fine dry dust, an atomized particulate and an aerosolized particulate. 
     
     
         8 . The method of making a non-woven material as defined in  claim 6  further including the step of applying an electric charge across said mesh. 
     
     
         9 . A method of making an antimicrobial filter comprising:
 i. mixing an iodinated resin with a polymer;   ii. extruding the iodinated resin and polymer mixture to form a plurality of extruded fibers such that the iodinated resin is incorporated into the fibers;   iii. collecting the fibers on a collecting web to form a nonwoven web.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein said iodinated resin is in dust form prior to extrusion. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising applying an electric charge across the nonwoven web. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9  further comprising pressuring and heating the fibers to form a felt. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, nylon and polyethylene. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the polymer and iodinated resin are emulsified at elevated temperature and pressure to form a melt prior to forming the fibers. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the nonwoven is formed using a melt blown process. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the nonwoven is formed using a spun blown process. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 15  wherein the extruded fibers are attenuated and then quenched. 
     
     
         18 . A method of making an antimicrobial filter comprising:
 i. extruding a polymer to form a plurality of extruded fibers;   ii. spraying an active substance on the extruded particles, wherein the active substance is an iodinated resin;   iii. bonding the fibers containing the active agent into a nonwoven web.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18  wherein the iodinated resin is sprayed in the form of an aerosol.