RAPID: COVID-19: Sterilization Mechanism of Corona Discharge for Masks and Environment

该项目将为一种便携式灭菌技术——电晕放电提供基本的理解和技术验证，以便安全有效地用于灭菌和给使用过的口罩、N95呼吸器和ppe充电。本RAPID项目的总体目标是通过对电晕放电（CD）灭菌机理的协同系统研究，迫切推进安全、可持续、高效的灭菌技术。CD可以高效、快速地对各种ppe进行消毒，以帮助解决突发公共卫生事件时的大规模短缺问题，并为共用表面、密闭空间和可能的露天场所提供有效的消毒解决方案，以防止COVID-19的传播。这将大大缓解医院个人防护装备短缺的问题，并使公民能够获得口罩，这将有助于使SARS-CoV-2感染曲线趋于平缓，并支持经济复苏。该项目将提高公众对重复使用无静电口罩的潜在风险的认识，这种口罩会降低过滤效果。通过与研究机构建立合作关系，项目负责人可以进入当地医院，并有可能获得有关其CD原型效率的现场数据。pi正在与CD设备制造商合作，为缓解COVID-19大流行及时发挥作用。PI将积极地让未被充分代表的研究生和本科生参与研究。该项目将建立灭菌机制和电晕放电效率，使其达到医院安全使用口罩和防护用品所需的水平。这一机械工程和生物科学领域的合作项目将：1)研究CD对口罩的杀菌和充电效果，及其对口罩过滤机制和效率的影响；2)通过跟踪电晕和微生物中不同组分的相互作用，研究乳糜泻杀灭细菌和病毒的机理，确定最有效的灭菌方法；3)研究基材和表面条件对CD灭菌机理和效率的影响，以及对污染空气的灭菌效果。pi的初步结果显示，一般使用时，对大肠杆菌的无菌保证水平（SAL）在几秒钟内低于10-3，如果延长手术治疗时间，则可能低于10-6。计划开展的全面的杀菌机理研究也将更好地了解电晕放电中光子、电子、自由基、电离粒子等与蛋白质、核酸以及病毒、细菌和真菌的其他成分之间的相互作用，确定最有效的杀菌方法，并促进对不同膜或蛋白质组成的病原体更有效的靶向杀菌技术的发展。深入研究对生活在不同表面和不同环境下的不同种类微生物的灭菌效果和机理，将有助于研究人员发现更多灭活传染性细菌和病毒的技术，减少传染病的传播。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。

This project will provide fundamental understanding and technical validation for a portable sterilization technique, the corona discharge, to be safely and effectively used for sterilization and recharge of the used face masks, N95 respirators, and PPEs. The overall purpose of this RAPID project is to urgently advance a safe, sustainable and high-efficiency sterilization technology by conducting collaborative and systematic research on the sterilization mechanism of corona discharge (CD). CD can efficiently and rapidly sterilize various PPEs to help resolve the massive shortage problem upon an outbreaks of public health emergencies, and offers an efficient sterilization solution for shared surfaces, confined space, and possibly open air to prevent COVID-19 spread. This would drastically mitigate the PPE shortage at hospitals, and allow citizens’ access to masks, which will help to flatten the curve of SARS-CoV-2 infection and support economic recovery. The project will bring awareness to public on the potential risk of reusing masks without static charges, which reduces the filtration effect. Through established collaboration with research institution the PIs have access to a local hospital and possibility to obtain field data on the efficiency of their CD prototypes. The PIs are collaborating with CD unit manufacturer to bring timely impact on mitigate COVID-19 pandemic. PI will actively involve underrepresented graduate and undergraduate students in the research. This project will establish sterilization mechanism and efficiency of corona discharge to levels required for safe hospital use of face masks and PPEs. This collaborative RAPID proposal linking the fields of Mechanical Engineering and Biological Sciences will: 1) investigate sterilization and recharging effectiveness on masks by CD, and its effect on the filtration mechanism and efficiency of masks; 2) study how CD kills bacteria and viruses by tracking the interaction of different components in corona and microbe to identify the most effective sterilization method; 3) study how substrate material and surface condition affect CD sterilization mechanism and efficiency, as well as the sterilization effect for contaminated air. The PIs have preliminary results showing sterility assurance level (SAL) of lower than 10-3 vs. E. coli within seconds for general use, and potentially 10-6 with extended treatment time for surgical use. The planned comprehensive sterilization mechanism study will also provide a better understanding of the interaction among photons, electrons, free radicals, ionized particles, etc. in corona discharge with protein, nucleic acids, and other components of viruses, bacteria, and possibly fungi, identify the most effective sterilization method, and prompt the development of more efficient targeted sterilization technologies for pathogens with different membrane or protein compositions. The in-depth study of the sterilization effect and mechanism on different kinds of microorganisms living on various surfaces and in different environments will help researchers discover more technologies that deactivate contagious bacteria and viruses and reduce the transmission of contagious diseases.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.