MIT scientists design face mask that can inactivate coronavirus using heat
Scientists at MIT have designed a novel face
mask that can not only filter out the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, but also
inactivate it using heat.
The new mask incorporates a heated copper
mesh and does not need to be decontaminated or thrown away after use, according
to the researchers.
As the person wearing the mask breathes in
and out, air flows repeatedly across the mesh, and any viral particles in the
air are slowed and inactivated by the mesh and high temperatures, the
researchers said.
Such a mask could be useful for healthcare
professionals, as well as members of the public in situations where social
distancing would be difficult to achieve, such as a crowded bus, they said.
"This is a completely new mask concept
in that it doesn't primarily block the virus. It actually lets the virus go
through the mask, but slows and inactivates it," said Michael Strano, a
professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US. Read More
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