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

该项目将为便携式灭菌技术-电晕放电，安全有效地用于旧面罩、N95呼吸器和PPE的灭菌和充电提供基本的理解和技术验证。这一快速项目的总体目的是通过对电晕放电(Cd)灭菌机理的合作和系统研究，紧急推进安全、可持续和高效的灭菌技术。CD可高效快速消毒各种PPE，帮助解决突发公共卫生事件爆发时的大规模短缺问题，并为共用表面、受限空间和可能的露天提供高效杀菌解决方案，以防止新冠肺炎传播。这将极大地缓解医院个人防护用品短缺的问题，并允许公民获得口罩，这将有助于平坦SARS-CoV-2感染曲线，支持经济复苏。该项目将使公众认识到重复使用不带静电的口罩的潜在风险，这会降低过滤效果。通过与研究机构建立合作，私人投资机构可以接触到当地医院，并有可能获得关于其CD原型效率的现场数据。PI正在与CD单元制造商合作，为缓解新冠肺炎大流行带来及时的影响。国际和平研究所将积极让代表性不足的研究生和本科生参与这项研究。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PPE所需的水平。这项联合机械工程和生物科学领域的合作快速提案将：1)调查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成分的相互作用，研究Cd如何杀灭细菌和病毒，以确定最有效的灭菌方法；3)研究衬底材料和表面状况如何影响Cd的灭菌机理和效率，以及对受污染空气的灭菌效果。PIs的初步结果显示，对于普通用途，无菌保证水平(SAL)在几秒钟内低于大肠杆菌，对于外科用途，有可能在延长治疗时间的情况下达到10-6。计划中的综合灭菌机制研究还将使人们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、核酸和病毒、细菌以及可能还有真菌的其他成分之间的相互作用，确定最有效的灭菌方法，并推动针对不同膜或蛋白质组成的病原体开发更有效的靶向灭菌技术。对生活在不同表面和不同环境中的不同种类微生物的灭菌效果和机理的深入研究，将有助于研究人员发现更多能够灭活传染性细菌和病毒、减少传染性疾病传播的技术。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.