Table 3.

Emerging applications of nonwoven PPEs categorized by field.

Field	Applications
General PPE	Graphene-modified personal protective clothing [115]
Mask/ Respirators	An earbud incorporated into masks for better quality calls. Self-disinfecting face masks with two conductive fabrics sandwiched by a dielectric layer [116].
	Breath-activated antibacterial face mask using Ag/cotton/Zn nonwoven to generate a microelectronic field. Excellent electroactive antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus [117].
Medical	Cellulose fiber-based hierarchical filter materials for protective clothing [118]
	Reusable and bio-based medical protective fibers [49]
	Antiviral/antimicrobial medical protective fibers [49]
	Visual detecting medical protective fibers [49]
Protection	Intelligent thermostatic garments, i.e., suits for thermoregulation, microclimate regulation systems, water storage, waterproof, breathable, thermoregulation, release control carrier for functional molecules, camouflage uniforms—stealth and protection by material color change to blend with external surroundings [119]
	“Warrior Web” using Bionic technology, intelligent combat clothing, to protect health and safety of soldiers [119]
	Nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) protective clothing [119]