In celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we continue to recognize the economic, cultural, political, and social contributions of notable immigrants and refugees who’ve helped shape America’s vibrant tapestry. Today, we spotlight Taiwanese scientist and inventor., Dr. Peter Tsai.
Peter Tsai was born in Taiwan in 1952. Growing up on his family’s farm, he studied chemical engineering at what is now known as the National Taipei University of Technology. Upon graduating, he began his research career. In 1981, he immigrated to the United States to study mathematics, physics, and chemistry at Kansas State University.
After completing a doctorate in materials science, the University of Tennessee’s Department of Material Science and Engineering hired him as a professor. He later moved on to the University of Texas, Austin.
In 1992, while employed in Tennessee, Tsai invented corona charging technology, a process that uses high-voltage electrodes to ionize surrounding air. He found that by charging microfibers, particle-filtering efficiency improved by a multiple of ten. The technology was licensed to companies tasked with developing a new respirator.
Created with construction site safety in mind, the resulting N95 respirator mask soon gained prominence within the medical field, as the charged material also proved effective in ensnaring moist droplets. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) began recommending the N95 respirator for protection against airborne diseases in 1996. In 2018, Tsai’s subsequent research led to a water-charging method that ultimately increased efficiency by an additional 20 percent.
Although Dr. Tsai retired in 2019 after a nearly 35-year career in academia, he returned to work in 2020, during the height of the international COVID-19 pandemic. His return tasked him with researching avenues to decontaminate N95 masks, which had been in short supply for both the general public and health organizations alike. Working nearly 20-hour days, his re-engagement led to a discovery – while alcohol and temperature degraded the mask’s efficacy, maintaining a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius allowed the mask to maintain its charge and shape. The CDC’s internal research supported the findings.
Dr. Peter Tsai passed away in 2020. In total, he held 12 U.S. patents and over 20 commercial licensing contracts.
Others we are celebrating in honor of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month:
2025
David Tran, Vietnamese American entrepreneur and inventor
Betty Nguyen, award-winning Vietnamese American news anchor
Mazie Hirono, first Asian American woman elected to the U.S. Senate
Zubair Mohajiir, award-winning culinarian
