Prediction of personal protective equipment use in hospitals during COVID-19.

Demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as surgical masks, gloves, and gowns has increased significantly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In hospital settings, both medical staff and patients are required to wear PPE. As these facilities resume regular operations, staff will be required to wear PPE at all times while additional PPE will be mandated during medical procedures.

Effects of interfacial modifications on electrical properties of laminar composite dielectrics.

The reported work highlights that both polarizibility and quasi-DC conductivity, the two most important parameters for high energy density materials, can be influenced by the surface polarity of an oxide and interfacial surface tension between the oxide and polymer in a laminar composite. Surface modification of laminar composites, composed of thermally grown silica and vapor phase grown Parylene C thin films using organosilanes, was used to control silica surface polarity and interfacial surface tension. Surface polarity of thermally grown silica was found to control the interfacial dipolar energy states.

Control of interfaces on electrical properties of SiO(2)-Parylene-C laminar composite dielectrics.

The interfacial interactions and their effects on electrical properties are reported for thermally grown SiO(2)-Parylene-C laminar composites. The segmental chain mobility of the interfacial Parylene-C was found to be enhanced in the composites. TSDC (thermally stimulated depolarization current) measurements showed the presence of dipolar interfacial energy states in these laminar composites.