Researchers are developing a fast-acting, long-lasting disinfectant spray to kill viruses

Reviewed by Emily Henderson, B.Sc.September 10, 2020

Current antiseptic products for killing viruses such as coronavirus take minutes to completely disinfect the surface. This is not practical in places with high contact such as door handles, elevators and vanisters.

That’s why the University of Central Florida is co-developing a new, fast and effective disinfectant spray that kills viruses instantly without the use of powerful chemicals.

The project is led by Christina Drake, the owner and materials science engineer of Orlando-based Kismet Technologies, Ltd., chair of the UCF School of Materials Science and Engineering, Professor Sudipta Seal, Director of the UCF Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences. , Professor Griffith Parks. ..

The National Science Foundation recently awarded the team a grant of over $250,000 to work on the project.

Kismet Technologies is an R&D technology company specializing in the idea and creation of materials and sensors designed for use in defense, health technology and automotive safety.

Spray and wipe-based disinfectants should leave the surface wet for a few minutes, usually to kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. We are creating a fast-acting disinfectant spray that disinfects faster than current disinfectants, and it leaves the post-application of disinfectant films on a temporary, but continuous basis. “

Christina Drake, UCF Materials Science Engineering Materials Science Engineer

The transparent film is not tacky, and when applied to a surface it is not clear due to the nanoscale size of the disinfectant particles it contains, Drake says. Due to the regenerative properties of the nanoparticles, continuous disinfection is planned.

Drake got the idea of ​​spraying while grocery shopping in the early days of the pandemic. She noticed an employee spraying a disinfectant on the surface, but she quickly dried it, which made the spray ineffective.

“I found it a real pitfall of disinfectants,” Drake says. “It’s not practical to keep the surface moistened for a few minutes in a busy area when people are shopping.”

Later, while graduating from UCF, Drake contacted Dr. Seal, a PhD adviser, to begin developing ideas. Parks, who is also working with Seal to develop virus-destroying face shield materials, joined the team to bring virological expertise to the project.

The disinfectant they are developing is researching using cerium oxide nanoparticles developed by Seal. Previous studies have shown that this may be lethal to viruses similar to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease.

Cerium oxide nanoparticles have been shown to have a wide range of therapeutic properties, from healing diabetic wounds to mitigating radiation damage, killing cancer cells and acting as an antibiotic.

Nanoparticles act as potent antioxidants in healthy human cells and have the unique ability to generate protective hydroxyl radicals to protect themselves from pathogens.

“We are working on using these nanoparticles to kill cancer cells and the like, and we’re trying to use the redox capacity to hopefully create another formulation that could similarly inactivate the virus. “Isn’t it?” says Seal.

This approach is novel because of the multiple antiseptic mechanisms incorporated into the nanoparticles and in the formulation that allows the formation of temporary antiseptic films.

Researchers are actively working to synthesize an early formulation that Parkes will test with a panel of different viruses. Coronavirus Related to SARS-CoV-2.

“I’m very pleased to be part of this amazing multidisciplinary team of scientists working on key safety issues,” Parks says.

The disinfectant sprays could be sent to the US Environmental Protection Agency for approval at the end of the one-year project, and then be put on the market, researchers say.

Seal joined the UCF School of Materials Science and Engineering in 1997, which is part of the UCF College of Engineering and Computer Science. He has been appointed to the School of Medicine and is a member of the UCF prosthetic cluster Biionix.