Masks are made to take advantage of materials' special properties and characteristics in order to block droplets and particles at the micrometer and nanometer level — whether that involves multiple layers of gauze with thick fibers, a non-woven material with an intricate mesh of extremely fine fibers, or polyurethane that catches particles using static electricity.

Learn more about masks using an electron microscope

"Science artist" Genki Ichioka's YouTube channel "Genki Labo" has several videos that feature the TM3030 tabletop electron microscope!

• How many times can you wash a mask? The surprising results revealed with an electron microscope!
• We created a system that allows us to see coronavirus droplets and test fabric masks, and we found out something amazing!
• Can you really wash and reuse fabric masks again and again? We washed a mask, examined it with an electron microscope, and got some extraordinary results!
• We looked at DIY mask materials using an electron microscope and visualized coronavirus droplets using lasers!