New Research Aims to Develop a Surface Coating That Kills Covid-19 on Contact

Waterloo Nanotechnology Institute (WIN) at the University of Waterloo is collaborating with SiO2 Innovation Labs.

Sushanta Mitra, Professor of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering and principal investigator on the project, stated: "The COVID-19 virus can survive on surfaces for 24 hours or longer." "To protect frontline workers and the general public, it is critical that the virus be immediately inactivated upon contact with any surface. Our work will culminate in the production of an antiviral coating that does exactly that. Mitra's team developed an innovative experimental setup to measure the adhesion force between viral load and coated surfaces. Mitra uses water droplets to mimic the primary transmission route of COVID-19 between people, such as saliva droplets or other bodily fluids.

Further testing will determine the ability of the coatings to inactivate SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 disease in our populations.

Creating a coating is a multi-stage process that involves developing techniques for durably coating antiviral materials on different surfaces, understanding the origins of physical forces between viruses and coated materials through careful experimentation and development, computational modelling, and ultimately formulating an optimal coating material composition based on this work. Bruce Johnston, Chief Technology Officer at SiO2 Innovation Labs, said: "Our track record of creating and delivering safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly products positions us well to meet this historic moment." "We are excited to collaborate with Professor Mitra and WIN to bring to market a surface coating that will rapidly inactivate pathogens and then enable their dispersal. Reduced infection rates will save lives and create safer environments in public and private spaces, including homes, workplaces, schools, stores, public transit and accommodation facilities." This research is multidisciplinary and is being conducted by many different researchers, including Boxin Zhao, Professor of Chemical Engineering at Waterloo, and John Honek, Professor of Chemistry. Waterloo Nanotechnology Institute (WIN) is Canada's largest nanotechnology institute committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and is a global leader in the discovery and development of smart and functional materials, connected devices, next-generation energy systems, and therapeutics and therapeutic applications. SiO2 Innovation Labs creates innovative, safe and efficient ultrathin high-performance commercial and industrial coatings manufactured in North America. This research is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Mitacs.