SBIR Phase I: Viral inactivation in air and on surfaces across large areas by safe, non-thermal, non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是一种新的、安全的非接触方法和设备，用于灭活空气或表面和物体上的病毒。提出的非化学方法具有可扩展性，可以快速调整以靶向新型病原体，从而预防或减轻新型病毒性病原体的未来流行。该项目提出的解决方案是一种相对低成本的便携式或安装在天花板上的设备，可在卫生保健机构、办公室、学校、公共交通或其他疾病传播风险高的地方使用。该装置将在数千或数百万个地点提供持续的抗病毒效果，同时在人类暴露的安全范围内运行。该SBIR一期项目旨在验证非接触式病毒灭活方法的概念，该方法依赖于微波的共振能量转移，并在操作参数对人类安全且符合监管指南的情况下证明病毒检测的有效性。为了实现这一目标，需要一种小型化且具有成本效益的高功率脉冲微波源和天线。为此，将开发一个原型设备，该设备包括一个高功率真空电子设备，如磁控管或行波管，一个定制的新型高压电源，以及固件和控制。该电源将被设计为驱动现有的真空装置，通过在千瓦范围内的稳压高压输出和浮动的低功率辅助电源。为了控制脉冲操作，控制算法将在微控制器中实现。该原型将被表征并用于在常见的病毒生长分析中暴露病毒样本，然后对抗病毒效果进行定量评估。预期的结果是在安全范围内实现显着减少的功能原型，例如2日志，这将作为新型抗病毒装置的蓝图。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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project is a new and safe non-contact method and device to inactivate viruses in air or on surfaces and objects. The non-chemical method proposed is scalable and can be quickly adjusted to target novel pathogens and therefore prevent or mitigate future epidemics of novel viral pathogens. The solution enabled by the proposed project is a relatively low-cost portable or ceiling-mounted device to be operated in health care settings, offices, schools, public transit, or other locations where the risk of disease transmission is high. The device would provide a continuous antiviral effect in thousands or millions of locations while operating within safe limits for human exposure. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to validate the concept of a non-contact viral inactivation method that relies on resonant energy transfer from microwaves, and to demonstrate the efficacy in viral assays under operation parameters that are safe for humans and within regulatory guidelines. To accomplish this, a miniaturized and cost-effective high power pulsed microwave source and antenna is required. To this end, a prototype device will be developed that consists of a high-power vacuum electronics device, such as a magnetron or a traveling-wave tube, a custom and novel high voltage power source, and firmware and controls. The power supply will be designed to drive an existing vacuum device, by means of a regulated high-voltage output in the kilowatt range and a floating low-power auxiliary power source. To control pulsed operation, a control algorithm will be implemented in a microcontroller. The prototype will be characterized and used to expose viral samples in common viral growth assays, followed by a quantitative assessment of the antiviral effect. The outcome expected is a functional prototype that achieves significant reduction, e.g., 2 logs, within safe limits that will serve as a blueprint for a novel class of antiviral devices.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.