A better mask A better mask Michelle Tedford • April 09, 2021 The University of Dayton's business development program helps one researcher grow his great idea into solutions for cleaner air and cleaner water. Luis Estevez wants his research to help the world. So when the coronavirus hit, he looked at the clean water technology he was developing in the UD Research Institute and decided he could use it to clean the air, too. Silver nanoparticles in the AIMM mask destroy the virus’s ability to infect. His N95 mask has a distinct advantage over the masks now used, he said. Typical N95 masks rely on overlapping fibers to trap the virus and other pathogens. They get contaminated and are thrown away or undergo a complicated disinfection process. His design coats the mask with silver nanoparticles that destroy the virus’s ability to infect.