Scientists hope to understand the structural changes happening inside N95 respirator masks after being sterilized for reuse, through a collaborative effort between the Canadian Light Source and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre, both national research facilities at the University of Saskatchewan,

CLS Industrial Scientist Toby Bond is using X-rays produced by the synchrotron to see the tightly woven, microscopic fibres that are crucial to the filtering power of the respirators.
These particular masks are used by frontline health-care workers for protection against COVID-19.
N95 masks that were intended for one-time use were in short supply globally during the height of the pandemic, and continue to be unavailable in most parts of the world. As a result, health-care agencies and researchers have been looking for ways to sterilize masks for reuse.

Previous research has found that certain methods work better at maintaining the integrity of the masks following decontamination. Bond and his colleagues want to understand why this happens.
Knowing why the N95 mask fibres degrade would enable manufacturers to design more resilient masks and help the medical industry move towards personal protective equipment that is designed to be reusable.

*Photo: CLS Industrial Scientist Dr. Toby Bond at the synchrotron. (Credit: Submitted by the CLS)