Apr 29, 2021 · Among common materials, the most effective fabric is cotton, while silk performs the worst. Using the NIOSH N95 tests, Konda et al. found the mean PFE of 600 TPI cotton, chiffon, natural silk, and flannel to be 98%, 73%, 56%, and 44%, respectively, for particles larger than 300 nm, and 79%, 67%, 54%, and 57%, respectively, for particles smaller