Air curtains are like invisible waterfalls of air, directed by nozzles rather than pulled downward by gravity. Air curtains are common throughout the industry, used for things like keeping air from rushing out of climate-controlled spaces, deterring rodents and pests from getting into buildings, and on safety equipment like chemical hoods and biosafety cabinets. All these applications share a common feature: permitting entry of the things you want while excluding the things you don’t — without using a solid, physical barrier.

Taza Aya’s internal testing has demonstrated that our wearable air curtain reduces respirable aerosols in the breathing zone of the wearer by at least 90-95% [1].

Recently conducted, independent third-party testing by ARE Labs (Overland Park, KS)  demonstrated even better results:  99.86% reduction in inhaled viral aerosols.  For more details, see our blog or request a copy of the summary test report.

Non-thermal plasmas (NTPs), are sometimes called “cold flames” because they share many of the properties of fire - including the sterilizing properties. However, unlike flames, NTPs are not hot and do not consume oxygen.

NTPs are formed in the presence of a high electric field gradient, i.e., a substantial difference in voltage between two electrodes that are closely spaced. At very low pressures, well below that of ambient air, plasmas can form stably in various gases.  At standard atmospheric pressure, the same configuration would generate sparks that jump between the electrodes - not what we want.  However, if a dielectric material is situated between the electrodes, then a plasma that covers a much larger volume than a spark can be maintained stably over the surface. 

Combustion flames are thermal plasmas that are routinely used for sterilization. Like combustion flames, non-thermal plasmas (NTPs) produce energetic, highly reactive but also short-lived fragments of molecules.  However, unlike combustion flames, NTPs:

NTPs are quick and effective for reducing airborne pathogens.  Specifically for treatment of flowing air, quick and effective as characteristics translate into small in size or readily miniaturized.  This makes NTPs well-suited for use in wearable devices. 

Existing air cleaning technologies can’t compete with the effectiveness, capacity, and compactness of NTPs, including some that are already being used in the fast-growing wearable air purifier market.