SSL_AntiVir - Antiviral nanocoatings for air filtration and frequently touched surfaces

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It may take more than 18 months for a vaccine against Covid-19 to become available but in the meantime we need a way to lift restrictions and contain viral transmission. A potential interim solution would be a technology capable of destroying SARS-CoV-2 on contact that could be used to treat surfaces and air filters, therefore preventing the two known transmission routes: surfaces and droplets.When we grab a handrail in a bus or the handle of a shopping trolley, we have no idea about how many contagious people have touched it before us. The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, survives up to four hours on copper, up to 24h on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.We have developed an antimicrobial coating capable of destroying viruses, bacteria and fungi on contact in under two seconds. Existing antimicrobial coatings tend to use silver or copper but these are expensive, toxic to the environment and, most importantly, take several hours to inactivate microorganisms.The coating has been shown to be effective against SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 pandemic, killing 99.9% of the virus when put in contact with coated surfaces. As such it has the potential to make a substantial contribution to reducing the transmission of Covid-19.Smart Separations is working on several product embodiments that will be coated with this antimicrobial coating. The IUK grant will support the last and essential steps to take one of these products to market - a personal air sanitiser, called Gino, which has a coated ceramic washable filter. When air contaminated with bacteria and virus get in contact with the surface of the filter the microbes burst like balloons do, when they touch a cactus. SSL needs to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of Gino in order to provide a secure basis for moving forward to commercialization. The impact of this air sanitizer goes beyond the current pandemic, as the antimicrobial coating destroys several types of pathogens besides COVID-19 virus.