以色列發明充電消毒口罩 加熱消毒重複利用

一次性口罩既不經濟也不環保？以色列理工學院的科研人員近日研發出新型的充電口罩，可使用手機充電器充電加熱來殺死口罩上的病毒，以實現重複利用。

Israeli researchers say they have invented a reusable face mask that can kill the coronavirus with heat by drawing power from a mobile phone charger.

以色列研究人員稱，他們已經發明瞭一種可重複使用的口罩，可以使用手機充電器充電加熱來殺死新冠病毒。

The disinfecting process takes about 30 minutes - and users should not wear the mask while it is plugged in, said Professor Yair Ein-Eli, who led the research team at Technion University in Haifa.

該研究小組組長、位於海法的以色列理工學院的亞伊爾·埃因-埃裏教授說，這種口罩消毒過程大約需要30分鐘，使用者切勿在充電時佩戴。

The new mask has a USB port that connects to a power source such as a standard cellphone charger that heats an inner layer of carbon fibres to 70 degrees Celsius, high enough to kill viruses.

這種新型口罩有一個USB接口，可以連接到電源，比如標準的手機充電器。充電時口罩的內層碳纖維可加熱到70攝氏度，足以殺死病毒。

Ein-Eli said disposable masks, in high demand globally during the health crisis, were not economically or environmentally friendly.

埃因-埃裏稱，在健康危機期間全球需求旺盛的一次性口罩既不經濟也不環保。

“You have to make it reusable and friendly, and this is our solution,” he said.

他說：“口罩最好可以重複使用，並且環保，而這款口罩就是我們的解決方案。”

Professor Allon Moses, an infectious diseases expert at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center, said there was “no question” that a half hour’s exposure to 70-degree heat would kill the coronavirus.

耶路撒冷哈大沙醫療中心的傳染病專家阿龍·摩西教授說，毫無疑問，在70攝氏度的高溫下暴露半小時就會殺死新冠病毒。

But he cautioned that repeated heating could “damage the mask’s paper or fabric and spoil its ability to protect from diseases in the future”.

但他警告說，反覆加熱可能會“損壞口罩的材料或織物，並破壞其未來預防疾病的能力”。

During testing, the prototype was exposed to 20 heating cycles, each for half an hour, with no impact on durability, Ein-Eli said.

埃因-埃裏說，在測試過程中，原型口罩被加熱了20次，每次加熱半小時，其耐久性未受影響。

“We can guarantee it up to a few dozen cycles, without any risk,” he added.

他補充說：“我們可以保證它可以重複使用幾十次，沒有任何風險。”

The prototype looks like a standard N95 face mask, with a valve at the front and bands to hold it in place around the head.

這個原型口罩外觀類似於標準的N95口罩，前面有一個呼吸閥，並用帶子固定在頭部。

The researchers submitted a patent for the mask in the United States in late March and say they are discussing commercializing the product with the private sector.

研究人員於3月下旬在美國爲這種口罩申請了專利，並表示他們正在與私有企業討論商業化生產。

It will likely sell at a $1 premium over the price of a typical disposable face mask, the researchers say.

研究人員稱，這種口罩的售價可能比普通的一次性口罩高出1美元（約合人民幣7元）。

premium [ˈpriːmiəm]：n.額外費用，溢價