Facing the current pandemic situation caused by Covid-19, Fibrenamics - the University of Minho and the company Tearfil, joined efforts to develop an innovative yarn capable of providing key properties to personal protective equipment (eg masks and gowns) and, simultaneously, allow their reuse.

Named Cov_Yarn, this project focused on the production of yarns by spinning technologies of natural and synthetic short fibers functionalized with metal oxides.

This approach allowed the development of multifunctional yarns that, after being converted into masks and gowns, not only presented favorable properties in terms of comfort but also a strong antibacterial and antiviral activity, allowing their reuse after being used by the consumer.

Figure 1 - Different stages of the multifunctional yarn produced.