RAPID: Lattice-Defective Copper Oxides as a Biocidal Tool for COVID-19 and Beyond

非技术描述：2020年COVID-19大流行引发了人们对病毒如何在人群中传播以及如何灭活的极大兴趣。迫切寻求表现出抗病原体“接触杀灭”能力的新型表面处理以保护公共健康和福利。为此，氧化亚铜被报道为一种高效的抗微生物化合物;虽然其抗微生物性质的起源仍然未知，但据推测是其晶格中原子级铜空位的结果，这些空位提供了高度带电的原子环境。晶格中的这些局部高能区域被认为会破坏和破坏细胞膜和/或病毒的蛋白质外壳。跨学科的研究量化了氧化亚铜晶格条件与其生物杀灭活性之间的联系，从而允许合理设计这种丰富、廉价且易于处理的材料，用于公共空间的涂料。技术参数：通过结构和电子探针定量了氧化亚铜晶格缺陷状态与其对代表性生物体的抗病反应之间的相关性，包括磁力测量和光吸收。通过高能机械加工合成的晶格缺陷型氧化亚铜被掺入涂层中，并进行生物测定，以量化长时间暴露后活细菌和病毒的任何减少。参与该项目的学生和初级研究人员在无机材料科学和生物学的通常不常见的交叉点工作。这些测试旨在模拟病原体可能在给定表面上存活的实际条件，提供了设计氧化亚铜以及其他氧化物材料的知识，用于抗病原体的目的，以应对当前的COVID-该奖项由分配给MPS的CARES法案补充资金资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评价，认为值得支持。

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has generated tremendous interest in how the virus spreads throughout populations as well as how it is deactivated. New types of surface treatments that exhibit antipathogenic “contact-kill” capabilities are urgently sought to protect public health and welfare. To this end, cuprous oxide is reported as a highly effective antimicrobial compound; while the origin of its antimicrobial property remains unknown, it is hypothesized to be a consequence of atomic-level copper vacancies in its crystal lattice that provide highly charged atomic environments. These locally energetic regions in the lattice are thought to disrupt and destroy cell membranes and/or the protein shell of viruses. Interdisciplinary research quantifies connections between the cuprous oxide lattice condition and its biocidal activity to permit rational engineering of this abundant, inexpensive and easily handled material for incorporation into coatings for public spaces.TECHNICAL DETAILS: Correlations between the cuprous oxide lattice defect condition and its antipathogenic response to representative organisms are quantified through structural and electronic probes, including magnetometry and photoabsorption. Lattice-defective cuprous oxide, synthesized by high-energy mechanical processing, is incorporated into coatings and subjected to biological assays to quantify any reduction in viable bacteria and viruses after prolonged exposure. Students and junior researchers involved in this project work at the typically unfrequented intersection of inorganic materials science and biology. These tests, which are designed to simulate actual conditions where a pathogen might survive on a given surface, provide enabling knowledge to engineer cuprous oxide, and perhaps other oxide materials, for antipathogenic purposes to address the current COVID-19 pandemic and to proactively confront future health challenges.This award is being funded by the CARES Act supplemental funds allocated to MPS.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.