Polymers Used in Transparent Face Masks—Characterization, Assessment, and Recommendations for Improvements Including Their Sustainability

By 2050, 700 million people will have hearing loss, requiring rehabilitation services. For about 80% of deaf and hard-hearing individuals, face coverings hinders their ability to lip-read. Also, the normal hearing population experiences issues socializing when wearing face masks. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate and further develop transparent face masks. In this work, the properties of polymers used in ten commercial transparent face masks were determined. The chemical composition of the polymers including nose bridges and ear loops was determined by FTIR spectroscopy. The focus of the characterizations was on the polymers in the transparent portion of each face mask. In half of the masks, the transparent portion contained PET, while in the other masks it consisted of PETG, PC, iPP, PVC, or SR (silicone rubber). Most masks had been coated with anti-fog material, and a few with scratch-resistant compounds, as indicated by XRF/EDX, SEM/EDX, and contact angle measurements. Thermal, molecular weight, and mechanical properties were determined by TGA/DSC, SEC, and tensile tests, respectively. To measure optical properties, UV-Vis reflectance and UV-Vis haze were applied. An assessment of the ten masks and recommendations to develop better transparent face masks were made, including improvement of their sustainability.