Nanomaterials not only against covid-19
Research on nanomaterials at the University of South Bohemia connected physicists, biologists, and chemists with a single objective - to develop coatings with maximum antiviral activity against viruses, especially SARS-CoV-2. It is already known that copper coatings are effective against bacteria and viruses, but there are many applications where higher effectiveness is required. In this study, the authors exploited one of the biggest enemies of megaton building constructions, galvanic corrosion, at the nanoscale to multiply the release of "antiviral" copper ions from their nanostructured surfaces. They then validated this idea by preparing coatings using a combination of two physical vapor deposition methods, magnetron sputtering and gaseous aggregation of nanoparticles, which ensured absolute purity of the deposited materials and, thus, unambiguous conclusions. The antimicrobial activity of the developed nanomaterials was successfully demonstrated against one type of bacteria and three types of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, where up to 100-fold efficacy was demonstrated.
The excellent antimicrobial activity of the developed nanocomposite coatings, supported by ion release measurements and detailed material characterization, demonstrates the versatility and tunability of this approach. In other words, this work demonstrates an interesting approach to designing new types of highly effective antimicrobial surfaces based on a simple but strong idea. A summary of the research can be found in a publication in the prestigious American journal ACS Applied Nano Materials.
In addition, the technology of substrate with an antimicrobial surface layer, especially for respiratory masks and air filters, has been granted patent No. 309899, where the team of scientists has succeeded in further increasing the effectiveness of this surface treatment. The research was funded by TAČR project GAMA-2 TP01010019 COV-01. The leader of the research is Jiří Kratochvíl from the Department of Physics at the Faculty of Physics of the University of South Bohemia, who won the Czech Brain (Ceska Hlava) Award in 2020.
Corresponding author: RNDr. Jiří Kratochvíl, Ph.D. (jkratochvil at prf.jcu.cz)
Graphic abstract of the article: A nanocomposite coating combining silver nanoparticles with copper is 100 times more effective against SARS-CoV-2 virus due to galvanic corrosion. At the bottom of the figure is a scanning electron microscope image of a coated respirator fiber.
Picture: Ultra-high vacuum chamber with installed gas-aggregation nanoparticle source that was used to prepare highly effective nanomaterials against SARS-CoV-2 virus. Surfaces are created using a low-temperature plasma whose radiation can be seen in the window of the main chamber.
