Nanoparticle formation by Spark Discharge Aerosol Generation offers low-cost fabrication of nanoparticles, without the use of chemicals or vacuum. It produces aerosol particles of a few nanometers in size with high purity. In this work, copper-based - CuO (tenorite) and Cu- nanoparticles are produced, characterized and used to modify face mask air filters, achieving the introduction of antibacterial and antiviral properties. A range of characterization techniques have been employed, down to the atomic level. The majority of the particles are CuO (of a few nanometers in size that agglomerate to form aggregates), the remainder being a small number of larger Cu particles. The particles were deposited on various substrates, mainly fiber filters in order to study them and use them as biocidal agents. On face masks, their antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E.coli) results in a 100% decrease in bacteria cell viability. Their antiviral activity on face masks results in a 90% reduction of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viability, 15 minutes post the application of the virus stock solution. This highlights the effectiveness of this approach, its simplicity, its low cost and its excellent environmental credentials.

中文翻译：

---

火花放电气溶胶产生的铜基纳米颗粒：结构和光学特性；在口罩抗病毒（SARS-CoV-2）和抗菌改进中的应用

通过火花放电气溶胶生成形成纳米颗粒可以低成本制造纳米颗粒，无需使用化学品或真空。它产生几纳米尺寸的高纯度气溶胶颗粒。在这项工作中，生产、表征了铜基 CuO（长石）和 Cu 纳米颗粒，并将其用于改进面罩空气过滤器，从而实现抗菌和抗病毒特性。已经采用了一系列直至原子水平的表征技术。大多数颗粒是 CuO（尺寸为几纳米，可聚集形成聚集体），其余为少量较大的 Cu 颗粒。这些颗粒沉积在各种基材上，主要是纤维过滤器上，以便研究它们并将它们用作杀菌剂。在口罩上，它们对大肠杆菌 (E.coli) 的抗菌活性会导致细菌细胞活力下降 100%。使用病毒原液 15 分钟后，口罩上的抗病毒活性可导致严重急性呼吸系统综合症冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 的存活率降低 90%。这突显了这种方法的有效性、简单性、低成本和出色的环境信誉。