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

非技术描述：2020年COVID-19大流行引起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。迫切需要寻求具有抗致病性“接触杀伤”能力的新型表面处理方法，以保护公众健康和福利。为此，氧化亚铜被报道为一种高效的抗菌化合物；虽然其抗菌特性的起源仍然未知，但它被假设是其晶格中原子水平的铜空位提供高电荷原子环境的结果。晶格中的这些局部能量区域被认为破坏和破坏细胞膜和/或病毒的蛋白质外壳。跨学科研究量化了氧化亚铜晶格状况与其生物杀灭活性之间的联系，从而允许对这种丰富、廉价且易于处理的材料进行合理的工程设计，并将其纳入公共空间的涂料中。技术细节：通过结构和电子探针，包括磁强计和光吸收，量化氧化亚铜晶格缺陷状况与其对代表性生物的抗致病性反应之间的相关性。晶格缺陷氧化亚铜是通过高能机械加工合成的，将其掺入涂层中，并进行生物测定，以量化长时间暴露后活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典型不常见的交叉点工作。这些测试旨在模拟病原体在给定表面上可能存活的实际条件，为设计氧化亚铜以及其他氧化物材料提供有益的知识，用于抗致病性目的，以应对当前的COVID-19大流行，并积极应对未来的健康挑战。该奖项由分配给MPS的《关怀法案》补充资金资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并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估，被认为值得支持。

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.