PROTOTYPE testing is underway for a reusable face mask that would blast coronavirus particles with heat, per a university news release. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reportedly submitted a patent for a mask with heated copper mesh. The contraption is said to slow particles down and inactivate viruses in mere seconds by the mesh and temperatures reaching 90 degrees Celsius. “While facial coverings over the nose and mouth reduce the spread of the virus SARS-CoV-2 by filtration, masks capable of viral inactivation by heating could provide a complementary method to limit viral transmission,” study authors wrote. Findings were posted ahead of peer review on the arXiv depository. The searing heat reportedly “could achieve between a thousandfold and millionfold reduction in viral particles, depending on the final mask size,” per the release. The prototypes use a 9-volt battery to release an electric current across a 0.1-millimeter thick copper mesh. The result? Medically sterile air on both sides of the mask, researchers say. According to the research team, the virus degrades much more quickly with every 10-degree increase in temperature. “Of course, we need to be mindful of the safety and comfort of mask users,” Samuel Faucher, lead author and graduate student at MIT, said in the release. “The air will be cooled after viral inactivation to make the mask comfortable and safe to use.” Temperatures over 60 degrees Celsius can seriously burn the skin in a matter of seconds, experts say. The researchers said the mask incorporates thermally insulating materials, like neoprene, for users’ comfort and safety. Intended users include health care workers but also members of the public in certain circumstances where social distancing would be difficult, like aboard a packed bus. “We formulated and solved mathematical equations that govern breathing and air heating to propose mask designs that may thermally inactivate the coronavirus. We plan to build and test additional physical prototypes before we make any specific recommendations about their use,” researchers wrote in an emailed statement. The estimated mass of the mask is 600 grams, including the batteries. Michael Strano, the paper’s senior author and Carbon P. Dubbs professor of chemical engineering at MIT, said the design wasn’t “too cumbersome.” (SD-Agencies) | 