JERUSALEM, June 25 (Xinhua) -- For Yair Ein-Eli, an Israeli professor, the electricity in a phone charger would be able to supply the heat needed to disinfect a face mask which has become almost a daily necessity since the outbreak of the deadly COVID-19.

In the wake of the anti-coronavirus lockdown imposed in Israel in March, Ein-Eli, dean of the department of Materials Science & Engineering at the Technion Israel Institute of Technology, realized the need to create a technology that allows easy self-cleaning of masks to reduce their turnover.

After reading that, as the World Health Organization said, the clothing and bed linens can be disinfected by washing them at between 60 to 90 degrees Celsius, he put his own mask in an oven for 12 hours and found the filters of the mask remained intact.

As an expert in electro-chemistry and battery technology, Ein-Eli turned to his lab to see which carbon fiber could best withstand the heat needed to kill the virus while the electricity needed to heat is being supplied.

He now has a prototype of a self-cleaning mask with a USB port that can connect to a power source such as a mobile phone charger for disinfection. A patent for the product is being applied for.

According to Ein-Eli, his mask will have other uses besides preventing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

"Households will spend less money on masks and it is more environmentally friendly because the mask can be reused," he told Xinhua.

The innovation, initially intended for medical staff, could also help tackle mask shortages, he said.

The cost of such a face mask, whose selling price is expected to be one U.S. dollar more than a regular face mask, is estimated by Ein-Eli as 30 U.S. cents. Enditem

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