Photonics in the front line of preventing coronavirus pandemic

Responding to the outbreak of respiratory disease caused by coronavirus that has been detected worldwide, there is a need for an innovative solution which will be an ad hoc solution ameliorating the situation. I propose a respiratory mask, having the respiratory tube equipped with UVC LED string. This arrangement will guarantee that air particles flowing through the tube will be exposed to high level of UVC radiation, both in and out. The dosage will be high enough to destroy the coronavirus. The LED string will be mounted inside an opaque tube that is used for airflow, thus preventing damage to users. UVC light kills viruses in seconds, and although invisible could be damaging. The opaque tubular air-duct will prevent harmful exposure of UVC light, which is around 250 nm. Today's technology has simple solutions for oxygen masks and LED emitting at UV region. Moreover, the mask itself could be disposable while the innovative tube solution could be transferred from mask to mask since it's self sterilizing.

To summarize, the air flowing through a relatively long path through the tube will be exposed to high levels of UVC, and will be sterilized both ways.

People who feel they can contribute to this worldwide epidemic prevention are more than welcome to contact me.