以色列发明充电消毒口罩 加热消毒重复利用

一次性口罩既不经济也不环保？以色列理工学院的科研人员近日研发出新型的充电口罩，可使用手机充电器充电加热来杀死口罩上的病毒，以实现重复利用。

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.

以色列研究人员称，他们已经发明了一种可重复使用的口罩，可以使用手机充电器充电加热来杀死新冠病毒。

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.

该研究小组组长、位于海法的以色列理工学院的亚伊尔·埃因-埃里教授说，这种口罩消毒过程大约需要30分钟，使用者切勿在充电时佩戴。

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.

这种新型口罩有一个USB接口，可以连接到电源，比如标准的手机充电器。充电时口罩的内层碳纤维可加热到70摄氏度，足以杀死病毒。

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

埃因-埃里称，在健康危机期间全球需求旺盛的一次性口罩既不经济也不环保。

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

他说：“口罩最好可以重复使用，并且环保，而这款口罩就是我们的解决方案。”

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.

耶路撒冷哈大沙医疗中心的传染病专家阿龙·摩西教授说，毫无疑问，在70摄氏度的高温下暴露半小时就会杀死新冠病毒。

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”.

但他警告说，反复加热可能会“损坏口罩的材料或织物，并破坏其未来预防疾病的能力”。

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-埃里说，在测试过程中，原型口罩被加热了20次，每次加热半小时，其耐久性未受影响。

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

他补充说：“我们可以保证它可以重复使用几十次，没有任何风险。”

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.

这个原型口罩外观类似于标准的N95口罩，前面有一个呼吸阀，并用带子固定在头部。

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.

研究人员于3月下旬在美国为这种口罩申请了专利，并表示他们正在与私有企业讨论商业化生产。

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

研究人员称，这种口罩的售价可能比普通的一次性口罩高出1美元（约合人民币7元）。

premium [ˈpriːmiəm]：n.额外费用，溢价