How Oxafence works

How Oxafence works

A light-driven surface hygiene mechanism, built into the fabric of the mask. Scroll to follow one cycle.

  1. 1

    Light reaches the treated layer

    Ordinary indoor light energizes the Protective Dye (methylene blue) bound within the mask fabric. No UV, no power source, no added chemicals.

  2. 2

    Energy is handed to oxygen

    The energized dye transfers that energy to oxygen already in the air, forming singlet oxygen. The dye itself returns to its resting state, unchanged.

  3. 3

    Singlet oxygen acts at the surface

    Singlet oxygen is a short-lived, highly reactive form of oxygen. It oxidizes organic material it touches, including microbes that settle on the fabric. The layer is designed to reduce microbial burden on the mask surface over time.

  4. 4

    It relaxes back to ordinary oxygen

    Within milliseconds, singlet oxygen returns 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 dye molecule can run this cycle more than 10,000 times. Across the treated layer, it keeps cycling for as long as there is light, rather than wearing off like a coating.

Illustration is schematic and not to scale. Oxafence is treated with an antimicrobial technology intended to support mask hygiene; it is not a substitute for filtration, fit, or other infection-control practices.