Mumbai: A nanotechnology-based coating to kill the coronavirus on personal protective equipment (PPE) and N95 face masks has been developed by the University of Mumbai (MU) and Swachh Urja Alliance LLP, Mumbai.
This coating can be used to destroy the virus adhered to face masks, shields and other protective gear thus eliminating the risk of infections to doctors, nurses, and other frontline workers.
Professor Vishwanath Patil of the department of Chemistry, MU and Sunil Peshane of Swachh Urja Alliance, Mumbai along with the help of PhD student Roshan Rane have jointly developed this new 'antiviral nanotechnology-based coatings' for application on PPEs and N95 face masks. The coatings are based on specially designed medical-grade polymer and nanoparticles of certain metals with no use of any harmful chemicals.
The coatings can be synthesised within four hours and dried within 15 minutes after application on PPE material. This coating can be used as a prototype to protect frontline workers who are in direct contact with COVID-19 patients.
An officer of MU said, "Doctors, nurses, paramedics and other support staff need protection from the virus as there are high chances of transmission. This coating will destroy the virus on their protective gear like masks, face shields or gloves.
It will prevent any kind of infection and help save the lives of medical staff and frontline workers." According to MU officials, all the preliminary coating properties of these antiviral coatings are completed at the laboratory level.
The officer added, "Both the researchers are trying to send these coating samples for further investigation to test their antiviral efficacy at the earliest." The samples are to be tested rigorously in BSL3/4 level virology laboratory located at National Institute of Virology, Pune which is supposed to be the only lab in India dealing with the research work on viruses.
