Development of Advanced Graphene-Based Antiviral Nanocomposites against COVID-19

冠状病毒病(新冠肺炎)的暴发是对全球人类的严重威胁。就对几乎所有职业的经济和个人造成的压力而言，这一流行病及其相关封锁对全球的影响是前所未有的。据了解，新冠肺炎是一种呼吸道感染，可通过微小的雾化飞沫在人与人之间传播。如果人们吸入这些具有潜在感染性、携带病毒的呼吸道飞沫，或者接触到受污染的物体或表面，就可能直接感染新冠肺炎。为了减少飞沫传播的风险，口罩可以作为主要屏障。然而，为应对新冠肺炎疫情的一线工作人员和卫生保健专业人员提供的N95级口罩严重短缺。此外，据报道，SARS-CoV-2病毒的寿命根据表面的不同而在4至72小时之间。因此，开发一种具有增强抗病毒性能的可重复使用的口罩是很重要的。该项目的目标是开发具有强大抗病毒和抗菌活性的先进功能石墨烯基纳米复合材料。该项目建立在我们最近与Zen Graphene Solutions Ltd合作的NSERC CRD/OCE VIP II项目的基础上。建议的功能纳米复合材料可以涂覆在各种材料上，创建先进的过滤器，用于制造新型可重复使用的掩模。制备的石墨烯基纳米复合层不仅可以过滤颗粒，还可以与冠状病毒结合并对其进行消毒。除了口罩外，对其他个人防护装备(PPE)的需求也很大，如面罩和围裙，以保护一线工人。然而，这些个人防护用品大多由塑料组成，SARS-CoV-2病毒可以在塑料上存活长达72小时，这与经常使用个人防护用品有关，构成了高风险。所提出的基于石墨烯的功能性纳米复合材料可以作为抗病毒层涂覆在PPE上，从而有效地消毒冠状病毒，从而为患者和卫生保健专业人员提供更安全的环境。因此，病毒的传播可以显著减少。

The outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a serious threat to humanity worldwide. The global implications of this pandemic and its associated lockdown are unprecedented in terms of the strain on economies and individuals in almost all occupations. It is known that COVID-19 is a respiratory infection, which can be transmitted from person to person via small aerosolized droplets. People may directly contract COVID-19 if they inhale these potentially infective, virus laden respiratory droplets, or come into contact with contaminated objects or surfaces. To reduce the risk of droplet transmission, face masks can serve as a primary barrier. However, there is a significant shortage of N95-rated respirator masks for front-line workers and health care professionals who are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the life span of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is reported to be between 4 and 72 hours depending on the surface. Hence, it is important to develop a re-usable face mask with enhanced antiviral properties. The goal of this project is to develop advanced functional graphene-based nanocomposites with robust antiviral and antibacterial activities. This project builds on our recent NSERC CRD / OCE VIP II project collaborated with ZEN Graphene Solutions Ltd. The proposed functional nanocomposites can be coated onto various materials to create an advanced filter for the fabrication of novel re-usable masks. The fabricated graphene-based nanocomposite layer not only filters out particulates, but also binds with and disinfects coronavirus. In addition to face masks, there also exists an immense demand for other personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face shields and aprons to protect front-line workers. However, most of these PPE are comprised of plastics that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can survive on for up to 72 hours, which poses a high risk associated with the regular use of PPE. The proposed functional graphene-based nanocomposites can be coated onto the PPE as an antiviral layer to effectively disinfect coronavirus, thereby providing a safer environment for both patients and health care professionals. Consequently, the spread of the virus can be significantly reduced.