A Surface Coating that Rapidly Inactivates SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease COVID-19, remains viable on solids for periods of up to 1 week, so one potential route for human infection is via exposure to an infectious dose from a solid. We have fabricated and tested a coating that is designed to reduce the longevity of SARS-CoV-2 on solids. The coating consists of cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) particles bound with polyurethane. After 1 h on coated glass or stainless steel, the viral titer was reduced by about 99.9% on average compared to the uncoated sample. An advantage of a polyurethane-based coating is that polyurethane is already used to coat a large number of everyday objects. Our coating adheres well to glass and stainless steel as well as everyday items that people may fear to touch during a pandemic, such as a doorknob, a pen, and a credit card keypad button. The coating performs well in the cross-hatch durability test and remains intact and active after 13 days of being immersed in water or after exposure to multiple cycles of exposure to the virus and disinfection.

Rapid Review of SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 Viability, Susceptibility to Treatment, and the Disinfection and Reuse of PPE, Particularly Filtering Facepiece Respirators

“…Six peer-reviewed studies and one non-peer-reviewed study have examined the viability of SARS-CoV-2 ( Table 3 ). Virus viability was assessed on a number of different materials, including glass [ 33 , 36 , 37 ], metal [ 27 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 ], plastic [ 27 , 37 , 38 , 40 ], paper [ 37 ], cardboard [ 27 ], rubber [ 38 , 40 ], wood, and cloth [ 37 ] ( Table 3 ). As observed for SARS-CoV-1, there was marked variation in the viability of SARS-CoV-2 across different types of materials ( Table 3 ).…”

Unlocking the surge in demand for personal and protective equipment (PPE) and improvised face coverings arising from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic – Implications for efficacy, re-use and sustainable waste management

“…However, lower environmental temperatures promote longer survival on surfaces, which may influence efficacy of mask wearing such as over winter flu season Derraik et al (2020) Face shields are inferior to use of face masks where the latter is particularly relevant for combined use in healthcare settings to prevent infection through the eyes. Rowan and Laffey (2020) An increasing trend towards development of smart coatings on materials for inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 and against other future potential pandemic viruses, along with provision for incorporation in PPE, mobile phones and so forth Behzadinasab et al, 2020 . Over 50 countries are now recommending facemasks by public that presents a new form single-use plastic waste Silva et al, 2020 Influence of soiling on critical PPE – up to 14 days survival and retention of SARS-CoV-2 on surgical gowns.…”

“…Several authors have reported on the viability of SARS-CoV1 and SARS-CoV-2 on various contact surface such as printed paper, printed tissue, cloth, wood, glass, banknotes, plastic, stainless steel, surgical mask layers over different environmental temperatures, relative humidity and durations ( Li et al, 2003 ; Lai et al, 2005 ; Pagat et al, 2007 ; Chan et al, 2020 ; Chin et al, 2020 ; Fischer et al, 2020 ; Kasloff et al, 2020 ; Behzadinasab et al, 2020 ; Biryukov et al, 2020 ). In general, lower environmental temperatures support the longer survival of SARS-CoV-2 on materials as reported by Chin et al (2020) where only a 0.7 log 10 reduction was observed for SAR-CoV-2 at 4 °C after 14 days compared with ≥4.5 log 10 reduction at 22 °C (room temperature) after 14 days and ≥ 4.5 log reduction at 37 °C after just 2 days.…”

Copper-oxide impregnated respiratory masks may significantly reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 cross-contamination

“…Copper, and copper-oxide, have potent virucidal properties 18 , including against SARS-CoV-2 19 . A platform technology that impregnates different textiles with copper-oxide microparticles was developed, endowing them with wide spectrum biocidal properties 20,21 .…”