Self-sustained oxygen mask | Nature Reviews Bioengineering

Oxygen masks typically rely on an external oxygen supply, whether in the form of oxygen tanks or capsules. In response to ‘the ultimate bioengineering challenge’ competition, we present the

design of a self-sustained oxygen mask using lightweight biocompatible materials to provide extended oxygen supply and water collection for low-resource settings. Access through your

institution Buy or subscribe This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution ACCESS OPTIONS Access through your institution Subscribe to this journal Receive 12

digital issues and online access to articles $119.00 per year only $9.92 per issue Learn more Buy this article * Purchase on SpringerLink * Instant access to full article PDF Buy now Prices

may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout ADDITIONAL ACCESS OPTIONS: * Log in * Learn about institutional subscriptions * Read our FAQs * Contact customer support

REFERENCES * Luo, S. et al. A cell-free self-replenishing CO2-fixing system. _Nat. Catal._ 5, 154–162 (2022). Article  MATH  Google Scholar  * Varshney, P., Mikulic, P., Vonshak, A.,

Beardall, J. & Wangikar, P. P. Extremophilic micro-algae and their potential contribution in biotechnology. _Bioresour. Technol._ 184, 363–372 (2015). Article  Google Scholar  * Najm,

Y., Jeong, S. & Leiknes, T. Nutrient utilization and oxygen production by _Chlorella vulgaris_ in a hybrid membrane bioreactor and algal membrane photobioreactor system. _Bioresour.

Technol._ 237, 64–71 (2017). Article  Google Scholar  * Dani, S. et al. Selection of a suitable photosynthetically active microalgae strain for the co-cultivation with mammalian cells.

_Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol._ 10, 994134 (2022). Article  MATH  Google Scholar  * Rooke, J. C., Léonard, A., Sarmento, H., Descy, J.-P. & Su, B.-L. Photosynthesis within porous silica

gel: viability and activity of encapsulated cyanobacteria. _J. Mater. Chem._ 18, 2833–2841 (2008). Article  MATH  Google Scholar  * Heng, W. et al. A smart mask for exhaled breath condensate

harvesting and analysis. _Science_ 385, 954–961 (2024). Article  MATH  Google Scholar  * Dingley, J., Williams, D., Douglas, P., Douglas, M. & Douglas, J. O. The development and

evaluation of a non-pressurised, chemical oxygen reaction generation vessel and breathing system providing emergency oxygen for an extended duration. _Anaesthesia_ 71, 1464–1470 (2016).

Article  MATH  Google Scholar  * Korhonena, H., Syväluotob, A., Leskinenc, J. T. T. & Lappalainen, R. Optically transparent and durable Al2O3 coatings for harsh environments by ultra

short pulsed laser deposition. _Opt. Laser Technol._ 98, 373–384 (2018). Article  MATH  Google Scholar  * Murphy, S. V. & Atala, A. 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs. _Nat.

Biotechnol._ 32, 773–785 (2014). Article  MATH  Google Scholar  * Cao, H., Duan, L., Zhang, Y., Cao, J. & Zhang, K. Current hydrogel advances in physicochemical and biological

response-driven biomedical application diversity. _Sig. Transduct. Target Ther._ 6, 426 (2021). Article  MATH  Google Scholar  * Decataldo, F. et al. Oxygen gas sensing using a

hydrogel-based organic electrochemical transistor for work safety applications. _Polymers_ 14, 1022 (2022). Article  MATH  Google Scholar  * Sharma, A. K. et al. Galvinol as ratiometric

naked-eye colorimetric moisture sensor: synthesis process development, applications and mechanistic studies. _Sens. Actuators B Chem._ 409, 135588 (2024). Article  Google Scholar  * Nguyen,

P. Q. et al. Wearable materials with embedded synthetic biology sensors for biomolecule detection. _Nat. Biotechnol._ 39, 1366–1374 (2021). Article  MATH  Google Scholar  * Tu, W., Xu, J.,

Thompson, I. P. & Huang, W. E. Engineering artificial photosynthesis based on rhodopsin for CO2 fixation. _Nat. Commun._ 14, 8012 (2023). Article  Google Scholar  Download references

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors acknowledge the financial support of the project ImmunoChip, which has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s

Horizon Europe research and innovation programme grant agreement No. 101045415 and the support of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) for the RTG ‘Supracolloidal Structures’ 2767.

AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Dresden, Germany Xuan Peng, Xinne Zhao & Željko

Janićijević Authors * Xuan Peng View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Xinne Zhao View author publications You can also search for this author

inPubMed Google Scholar * Željko Janićijević View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CONTRIBUTIONS All authors have jointly contributed to the

conception and conceptualization of the initial idea, the drafting of the original manuscript and the revisions of the manuscript. CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to Xuan Peng. ETHICS

DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no competing interests. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Peng, X., Zhao, X. &

Janićijević, Ž. Self-sustained oxygen mask. _Nat Rev Bioeng_ 3, 267–268 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-025-00300-x Download citation * Published: 14 April 2025 * Issue Date: April

2025 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-025-00300-x SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable

link is not currently available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative