Retrofitting stainless steel with a self-sanitizing surface layer
Abstract
Fomites (i.e., virions contaminated objects) infection is a common mode of transmission for highly infectious respiratory diseases, such as SARS, MERS, and Covid-19. Research has shown that both SARS-Cov-1 and SARS-Cov-2 virus have long viability on smooth surfaces such as stainless steel (SS) for days1,2. This is highly problematic for curbing the virus transmission, as people need to touch SS surfaces (e.g., door knobs, buttons, handrails, table tops, utensils, and many home and medical appliances) so frequently, making it difficult and often impractical to drastically alter human behavior. Current mitigation method is largely based on chemical sanitization through spraying and wiping, which is labor and materials intensive, difficult to cover all exposed areas, needs to be re-applied frequently, and rather unpleasant and even potentially harmful for workers and users. Therefore, antiviral SS surfaces that are self-sanitizing and low-maintenance are highly desirable, and they can contribute significantly in mitigating fomite infection.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Aug 31, 2020
- Source ID
- N000142012685
Entities
People
- Jiaxing Huang
Organizations
- Northwestern University
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy