Cleanroom swabs have strict requirements in terms of materials, which are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

I. Materials of the Swab Head

1. Low Particle Shedding Property
   The material of the cleanroom swab head must ensure minimal particle shedding during use. For example, polyester fiber is widely used for swab heads because it has good fiber strength and stability, and the fibers are not easily broken or shed during wiping. In contrast, some low – quality cotton swab heads may have cotton fiber shedding. These shed fibers, if left on the surface of precision instruments or products in the cleanroom environment, can seriously affect product quality.
2. Good Adsorbability
   To effectively remove contaminants such as dust and oil stains, the swab head needs to have good adsorption capacity. The polyurethane foam swab head performs well in this regard. Its porous structure enables it to adsorb a large amount of liquid and tiny particles. This property is very useful when cleaning tiny oil stains on electronic components or dust on the surface of precision optical instruments.
3. Chemical Compatibility
   The material of the swab head should be chemically compatible with various cleaning solvents and the substances being cleaned. In fields such as the electronics industry and the pharmaceutical industry, organic solvents or corrosive chemical reagents are often used for cleaning. For example, nylon swab heads have good tolerance to many organic solvents. They can remain stable when using solvents like isopropyl alcohol to clean electronic components, without reacting with the solvent to release harmful substances or being damaged by the solvent.

II. Materials of the Swab Shaft

1. Corrosion Resistance
   The shaft material of cleanroom swabs needs to have corrosion resistance because it may come into contact with various chemical reagents during the cleaning process. Plastic materials (such as polypropylene) are common choices for swab shafts as they can resist the corrosion of acids, alkalis, and other chemicals. This is particularly important when cleaning equipment in pharmaceutical factories or cleaning chemical experimental utensils in laboratories, ensuring that the swab shaft will not be corroded after contact with cleaning reagents, thus avoiding contaminating the object being cleaned.
2. Strength and Toughness
   The swab shaft needs to have sufficient strength and toughness to ensure that it does not break easily during operation. Especially when cleaning some hard – to – reach areas, the swab shaft needs to be bent or a certain amount of pressure needs to be applied. If the strength is insufficient and the swab shaft breaks in the cleaning area, it will cause serious foreign – object contamination. For example, when cleaning the narrow gaps inside optical instruments, a swab shaft with good strength and toughness is required to complete the cleaning task.
3. Low Electrostatic Generation
   In a cleanroom environment, static electricity can attract dust particles or cause damage to sensitive electronic components. Therefore, the material of the swab shaft should be selected to have low electrostatic generation. Some specially treated plastic materials can reduce the generation of static electricity. For example, polypropylene materials added with antistatic agents can effectively reduce the risk of contamination caused by dust adsorption due to static electricity during operation.