Special Coatings
The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is wreaking havoc across the globe for over half a year now.
And while scientists are yet to fully understand the deadly virus, they have come to terms that it is quite possible to contract the disease by coming in contact with infected frequently touched surfaces like clothing, elevator buttons, doorknobs, and light switches in public places.
To combat this, these soft and hard surfaces are suggested to be thoroughly and regularly cleaned. But what if there are surfaces that can rid themselves of bacteria and viruses all on their own?
That is what the researchers from the North Carolina State University decided to find out through a study entitled “Photodynamic Polymers as Comprehensive Anti-Infective Materials: Staying Ahead of a Growing Global Threat.”
The paper has been recently published in the scientific journal, Applied Materials & Interfaces.
It aims to produce a special coatings on soft materials that, when exposed to oxygen and light, can easily kill viruses and bacteria.
The photosensitizer molecules are embedded into polymers by dissolving an elastomer in a solvent, adding the biocidal molecules, and letting the solvent evaporate to leave a film.
This film is then hot-pressed above its melting point to create a sheet coatings, which is repeatedly cut, stacked, and hot-pressed.
With this procedure, the microbe-killing molecules are integrated over a large area of the material, and even after the surface wears off, a fresh batch of photosensitizer layer is available to kill the drug-resistant superbugs.
As revealed in the study, a photosensitizer-embedded polymer is able to inactive at least 99.95 percent of two viruses and 99.89 percent of five bacterial strains when exposed to light for 60 minutes in lab testing.
This proves to be a significant development in the consumer goods and healthcare industry as producers can now create linens, clothing, and screens that are biocidal and helpful in reducing the risk of contracting deadly infections.
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