University of St. Andrews Background
Anti-virus personal protective equipment (PPE) plays a crucial role in mitigating the spread of the viruses and have been mandated in the broader populace during the current pandemic. Reusable face coverings (e.g. made from cotton) are recommended in several countries while in others FFP2 (or other standardised masks) are required. Current products often incorporate anti-viral coatings (e.g. metal ions) but suffer from poor adsorption characteristics which can limit effectiveness.
Technology Overview
This technology () comprises of a coating that is designed to interact strongly with the exterior proteins of viruses. The coating consists of a simple molecular coating that can be combined with metal ions (that can have anti-virus activities) to produce a fabric that has significantly enhanced adsorption properties. demonstrates improved protein adsorption on a coated cotton fabric compared with an untreated one. Our technology can also be further enhanced by local dehydration of aerosol particles to promote virus deactivation.
Benefits
Simple and safe coating that strongly interacts with the exterior of virus particles enhancing adsorption
Performs well with current anti-viral metal-ion coating technologies
Novel local dehydration anti-viral mechanism also available
Applications
Anti-viral fabrics for PPE .