How Oxafence works

How Oxafence works

A light-driven treatment built into the fabric of the mask. Scroll to follow one cycle.

  1. 1

    Light reaches the treated layer

    Ordinary indoor light energizes methylene blue (MB), the dye bound into the Oxafence fabric layer. No UV, no power source, no added chemicals.

  2. 2

    Energy is handed to oxygen

    The energized dye transfers its energy to surrounding oxygen, forming singlet oxygen right at the fabric surface. The dye itself returns to its resting state, unchanged.

  3. 3

    Singlet oxygen acts on the surface

    Singlet oxygen is a short-lived, highly reactive form of oxygen. It is the singlet oxygen, not the dye itself, that oxidizes microbes landing on the fabric. This oxidation process is how the treatment is designed to reduce microbial burden on the mask surface.

  4. 4

    Then it relaxes back to ordinary oxygen

    Once it has reacted, singlet oxygen returns within milliseconds to normal, breathable oxygen. Nothing is consumed, nothing accumulates, and nothing is released beyond the surface.

  5. 5

    The cycle repeats across the whole surface

    Each MB molecule can run this cycle more than 10,000 times. Across the treated layer, reactions keep happening for as long as there is light, rather than wearing off like a coating.

Illustration is schematic and not to scale. Oxafence is a light-activated antimicrobial treatment intended to support mask hygiene. It does not replace filtration, fit, or other infection-control practices.