Some doctors in Britain will be able to wear specialised masks with a nanocopper layer that kills the coronavirus by the end of the year.
Face masks are worn to stop coronavirus, and other pathogens, from spreading from one person to another by capturing infectious saliva droplets. But while the standard three-layer surgical masks are effective at this, the virus can survive on its surface if not disinfected or disposed of correctly.
A scientist at Nottingham Trent University designed the mask and his company, a university spin-off called Pharm2Farm, is now manufacturing them.
Pharm2farm uses a patented process for producing and functionalising nanoparticles for various applications including human, animal and crop health. Pharm2farm is a wholly owned subsidiary of Remote Monitored Systems (LON:RMS).