Swiss company HeiQ is launching a new face mask that it says destroys 100 percent of tested viruses and bacteria within minutes of contact with the textile material. The patented HeiQ MetalliQ mask consists of a fabric coated with a pure copper coating.
Behind the technology, in addition to the Swiss company, is Xefco, an Australian materials technology company based in Eveleigh, NSW. Studies by the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne have shown that fabrics treated with the technology deactivate 97.79 percent of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in five minutes and more than 99.99 percent after 30 minutes.
HeiQ MetalliQ masks are manufactured in the EU at HeiQ Medica in Spain, where HeiQ also conducts R&D activities for medical devices. In developing the HeiQ MetalliX technology, Xefco collaborated with Deakin University’s Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) as part of the ARC Research Hub for Future Fibres, of which HeiQ is also a member.