Versarien has launched a graphene enhanced protective face mask with 120,000 orders already placed.

And speaking in an exclusive video interview with Punchline-Gloucester.com, chief executive Neill Ricketts said it was the first in a range of graphene products in the pipeline at the Cheltenham company designed to help with the impact of coronavirus.

The mask, which utilises Versarien's graphene enhanced polymer Polygrene, has been developed and manufactured alongside a Chinese partner to provide enhanced protection against airborne bacteria and to minimise the spread of viral infection.

A leading British university has ordered 100,000 masks with another 20,000 being delivered to a UK electrical and mechanical servicing and repairs business.

And Versarien has set up an eBay store enabling businesses to buy the masks with part of the price going to charity.

Speaking to Punchline editor Mark Owen, Mr Ricketts said: "We've been through a terrible time with COVID and when it first came around, we could either take three months on furlough or we could knuckle down, do some work and see if we could make a big difference.

"This mask is one of the first products which have come out of that thinking."

The mask, which has a coated layer of Polygrene, is rated as K95 - meaning it filters out 95 per cent of particles.

Anti-bacterial and anti-viral, it meets World Health Organisation guidelines and can be washed and reused.

"They provide all the capability and capacity that's required," said Mr Ricketts.

"It's the first in a range of products we are working on using graphene, rolling it out as quickly as possible to meet the challenges in front of us."

He continued: "Our new graphene enhanced mask is just one example of Polygrene's versatility and the high-quality design specifications that can be met using the material.

"We have taken great encouragement from the initial level of interest and are already in discussions with a number of other potential customers.

"Importantly, through our partner, we also have the capacity to fulfil much larger numbers of product orders going forward."

Watch Mark Owen's video chat with Neill Ricketts for more on the masks and the importance of graphene.