New coating inactivates surface COVID-19 virus

Virginia Tech scientists have discovered a way to inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19 on surfaces and objects.

They have created rewards that can be easily applied to things like doorknobs, desktops, bus seats and more. According to the team, protection lasts at least a year. Their findings were just published American Chemical Society Journal of Applied Materials and Interfaces.

William Ducker is a professor of chemical engineering at the Virginia Tech. As we know, when he saw coronaviruses relocate life on this planet, he had the idea of ​​creating some sort of substance that could knock out coronaviruses on the surface. I created it.

“Everyone is worried about touching recent shared items such as doorknobs and encounters. You’re wondering if you see it and get touched by it and get sick with a coronavirus So we wanted to invent a coating for doorknobs, credit card readers, etc. at checkout, but the coating itself kills the coronavirus.”

With virtually no budget to speak, Ducker and his team needed to buy the material immediately. They started making samples in his temporary lab. Most labs were shut down by Tech when they started working.

At first it was not easy to find a lab where you could test the samples. No one was calling Jesus until I found Leopoon and Alextin from the Hong Kong University School of Public Health to do the test.

“We send them and the results are sent back. So it’s always very exciting to me, as we’re exactly 12 hours away from us, and the results always come first in the morning. ”

At that time, the project started to speed up. They soon found a magical mixture that kills 99.9% of the surface viruses. Effective is cuprous oxide, a type of copper that is mixed with everyday household polyurethane.

“Cuprous oxide is cheap. It’s minerals that they dig from the earth. And I thought it was better, cheaper and easier to make a movie. [to coat an object] Instead of creating the entire object, it is enough to create the coating. “

Just apply. You really need two coats to kill the virus on the painted surface. And when we say “you draw,” we mean you.

“It’s not complicated. Anyone could do it.”

This paint is made from cuprous oxide particles in the form of copper mixed with polyurethane, one of the most well-studied polymers on earth.

The team tested against the coronavirus using only polyurethane after confirming that the combination worked..

“After showing the film work, we did a controlled experiment and coated the surface with only polyurethane. And when we tested it with coronavirus, [by itself] Do nothing at all So do not rush polyurethane to the item, and expect it to inactivate the coronavirus. According to our research, it doesn’t work. “

Ducker also wants to try the new paint he calls “safe coat” in the industry. Consider: public transport, air travel, day care centers, offices, classrooms.

“The coating we came up with,” he explains. [something] Can be coated, like wooden doorknobs or metal doorknobs [or paint] On the surface of it. Inactivates 99.9% of coronavirus in just one hour. “

And a test is in progress to see if they can lower it to just a few minutes.

“I would like to convey that during the period between the users, or the checkout facility, or the people who touched the knob on the same door every few minutes.”

“My main purpose is to get it from there, and that’s why it’s useful. We’ve published it in public literature so that people can see what we did.

But how does it work?

“It may be surprising, but I don’t know exactly how it actually works. I have some theory. I’m a scientist. Another thing I wanted to do is The thing is to make it work faster.

In early testing, the virus was destroyed after 1 hour. But that’s the shortest test they’ve ever done.

“One hour is not enough. I want it to work in minutes. Professor Poon tests it in a shorter period of time.” And it’s really, very important because I want to redesign the film. And there may be other material that works better, so if we are currently in a very active program and are trying to break our own limits , Cuprous oxide is currently the best in the world, what can we do better?

Ducker warns that Safe Coat will not be used in place of the well-known strategy for preventing the diffusion of COVID-19 droplets into the air. Masks and handwashing are more essential than ever, but he thinks safe coats could be part of the solution.

“This solution is more than safety. It’s also a way to get rid of fear. People are really afraid of touching doorknobs, pens, etc.” He will be a part of his team getting rid of that fear I want

Ducker wants to get this new safety coat and prevent c0ronavirus from the public in just a few weeks. I would like to get in touch with someone who is interested in working with him.

“That is, if you need a product that inactivates the coronavirus, please contact me when the water drops come in. I will do my best to provide a sample that I can test.”

The sample will be a kind of dark orange color. The reason is a small amount of copper in cuprous oxide. Ducker expects to mean that Orange is a safety sign when it’s found on a trip.

The contact method is as follows William Ducker: [email protected]

**Editor’s Note: RADIO IQ is a Virginia Tech service.