# Durable Self-cleaning Fluorinated Graphene Oxide Coated N95 Respirators

> **NIH ALLCDC R21** · UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGAS · 2021 · $188,328

## Abstract

Title: Durable Self-cleaning Fluorinated Graphene Oxide Coated N95 Respirators
Abstract
 This project addresses the healthcare and social assistance/Immune, Infectious and Dermal Disease
Prevention (HSAxIID) with the strategic goal 3: reduce occupational immune, infectious, and dermal disease.
The intermediate goal is to prevent the infectious disease transmission with research focus on personal
protection equipment (3.3.H). The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is primarily transmitted by
virus laden droplets and short-range aerosols. N95 respirator is an essential personal protection equipment to
combat COVID-19. Due to concerns over virus accumulation on the respirator for fomite infection, it is crucial to
make the respirators less contaminated as possible to better protect the healthcare workers. To address this
critical challenge, this application proposes to spray-coat highly fluorinated graphene oxide onto the outer surface
of the N95 respirator. Spray coating adds an additional porous nanostructure to the N95 respirator. The highly
fluorinated graphene oxide nanostructured coating possesses the exceptional superhydrophobicity. The
superhydrophobicity exhibits extreme water repellence and is hypothesized to make the N95 respirators less
contaminated by repelling the respiratory droplets off the respirator’s surface instantaneously. In addition, the
extraordinary robustness of graphene oxide to various environmental challenges is supposed to address the
durability issue associated with frequently reusing. The specific aims are, therefore, to test the highly fluorinated
graphene oxide nanostructured coating is (1) capable of repelling respiratory droplets while maintaining the
aerosol filtration efficiency; (2) capable of preventing the accumulation of SARS-CoV-2 virus on the N95
respirators. The outputs of the project will be journal articles, reports, and conference proceedings and
presentations. The intermediate outcomes will include citations in the literature and adoption of the technology
developed in the project. The end outcomes will be better protection of healthcare workers in terms of preventing
transmission of work-related infectious diseases among workers by translating this new technology to the
healthcare & social assistance sector, addressing Research to Practice (r2p).

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10284378
- **Project number:** 1R21OH012194-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGAS
- **Principal Investigator:** Hui Zhao
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $188,328
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-30 → 2023-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10284378

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10284378, Durable Self-cleaning Fluorinated Graphene Oxide Coated N95 Respirators (1R21OH012194-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10284378. Licensed CC0.

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