April 23, 2024

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A new type of coating that quickly eliminates 99.9% of germs in one spray and lasts for 6 months

A new type of coating that quickly eliminates 99.9% of germs in one spray and lasts for 6 months



 

A new type of coating that quickly eliminates 99.9% of germs in one spray and lasts for 6 months.

Since the outbreak, the biggest change for each of us may be washing hands and disinfecting items frequently. But whether it is liquid (such as alcohol) , gas ( high temperature steam ) , or ultraviolet radiation, it is impossible to kill bacteria for a long time.

Metal surfaces based on copper and zinc can provide longer-lasting antibacterial effects, but they often take hours to kill bacteria.

 

As we all know, in the struggle against microorganisms, human beings continue to experience the situation of “the Tao is one foot higher, and the devil is one foot higher”.

Although scientists have developed various preparations to destroy bacteria or viruses for nearly a century, and can kill more pathogens in less and less time, for surfaces, over time, it is annoying.

Microorganisms, especially those pathogenic bacteria or viruses, will still “come back”.

Especially in public places, a large number of pathogens are lurking on the surface of objects, and we can only “disinfect all the time, don’t make trouble”.

Therefore, there is an urgent need for a product with lasting antibacterial properties.

 

On August 24, 2022, researchers at the University of Michigan published a research paper titled: Surfaces with instant and persistent antimicrobial efficacy against bacteria and SARS-CoV-2 in the journal Mater .

The research has developed a safe coating with immediate and long-lasting broad-spectrum antibacterial or antiviral activity , which can be sprayed on the surface of almost all objects, quickly kills a variety of bacteria and viruses, and its antibacterial or antiviral efficacy is in Still 99.9% at 6 months.

The team says the new coating is expected to revolutionize the way public spaces such as airports and hospitals are disinfected.

 

A new type of coating that quickly eliminates 99.9% of germs in one spray and lasts for 6 months

 

A new type of coating that quickly eliminates 99.9% of germs in one spray and lasts for 6 months

 

For the new study, the researchers selected a terpenoid present in tea tree oil and cinnamon oil as an antibacterial molecule .

These compounds have been used for hundreds of years as active antibacterial agents against a wide range of pathogens and have been approved as food additives by the FDA and the European Commission.

 

Over the centuries, plants have evolved extraordinary survival strategies against a vast array of evolving viruses, bacteria, fungi and insects.

One such strategy is surface-secreted essential oils from plant secondary metabolites, which provide plants with broad-spectrum surface and air protection against different pathogenic threats through multiple mechanisms, including causing cell membrane disintegration and binding to proteins inactivated.

 

However, the highly volatile nature of plant essential oils prevents them from achieving long-lasting defensive efficacy.

 

So, the team used polyurethane . This is a varnish-like sealer commonly used on surfaces such as floors and furniture.

But the key challenge remains unsolved, namely how to combine vegetable oils with polyurethanes to allow the oil molecules to act as germs while preventing them from rapidly evaporating.

 

They found that cross-linking , which links materials together at the molecular level by heating, can be resolved. Smaller oil molecules readily combine with cross-linked polymer molecules to form a stable matrix.

But to kill bacteria, oil molecules need to penetrate the bacterial cell wall, which cannot be done if they are tightly bound in the matrix.

In the end, the researchers found a compromise by partially crosslinking the materials, leaving some oil molecules free to function while others tightly bound to the polyurethane.

 

The researchers say that while polyurethane is a safe and commonly used coating, they also conducted toxicity tests to ensure its safety, and confirmed that this particular combination of ingredients is even safer than many current antimicrobials.

 

Through experiments, they found that crosslinking only a portion of the oil had the desired effect. Free oil molecules tend to stay with oil molecules that are cross-linked into the matrix, helping the coating to last longer.

 

A new type of coating that quickly eliminates 99.9% of germs in one spray and lasts for 6 months

 

 

Test results showed that the new coating was lethal against various epidemic viruses, Escherichia coli, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and many other pathogens.

It kills 99.9% of all microbes, and the coating’s germicidal efficacy persists even after months of repeated cleaning, abrasion, and other rough handling of real-world surfaces such as keyboards, phone screens, and chopping boards with chicken. can keep.

 

A new type of coating that quickly eliminates 99.9% of germs in one spray and lasts for 6 months

 

 

Durability test results show that the coating can continue to kill bacteria or viruses for up to 6 months or more before the essential oils begin to evaporate and reduce their antibacterial effectiveness; and, when the effectiveness wears off, the coating is wiped with new oil , you can play a new round of antibacterial or antiviral efficacy.

 

The team’s goal was not just to develop a one-off coating, but to build a library of fundamental material properties, said study corresponding author Professor Anish Tuteja of the University of Michigan’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering .

If these properties are fully understood, we can develop coatings that meet the needs of a variety of applications.

He also said that the new technology is estimated to be commercialized within a year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paper link:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2022.08.018

A new type of coating that quickly eliminates 99.9% of germs in one spray and lasts for 6 months

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