IIT Gandhinagar has developed an anti-viral coating material that can easily be applied to any material. The distinctive invention can help prevent viral infections.
The IIT Researchers’ team who invented this anti-viral surface coating includes Professor Emila Panda, Associate Professor, Materials Engineering; Professor Abhay Raj Singh Gautam, Assistant Professor, Materials Engineering; Professor Virupakshi Soppina, Ramalingaswami Fellow, Biological Engineering; Nishaben M Patel, PhD student, Biological Engineering; and Ravi Teja Mittireddi, PhD student, Materials Engineering.
A team of researchers from IIT Gandhinagar has invented an anti-viral surface coating material. This coating material is highly effective on non-pathogenic viruses.
Non-pathogenic viruses such as Zika, E.coli and many others cause infections like cold, flu, warts, chickenpox and measles. Viral infections can turn into life-threatening complications in some cases.
Many anti-viral coatings available use heavy metals which have anti-infective properties. Many metals are toxic and non-transparent which makes them difficult to use and an environmental hazard.
However, this coating material is different as it is non-toxic, environment-friendly, transparent and only a few nanometres’ thick providing easy application.
The non-toxic and essential elements of non-stoichiometric amorphous titanium oxide are used in synthesising this coating to make it sustainable and anti-viral.
The coating is found to be durable, chemically stable and has strong adhesiveness with that of the substrate. This surface coating material can be easily applied on any indoor and outdoor objects like glass windows, wooden and plastic furniture, vehicles, automobiles, doorknobs, handles and many more.
After several tests, the team found that this coating’s antiviral activity remains almost unaltered even after multiple washes. Thus, it can be used multiple times. This coating has not been tested against the coronavirus, yet.
The paper-based on this work has been published in ELSEVIER’s Journal of Alloys and Compounds, an international peer-reviewed journal. The IIT team has also filed for an Indian patent for this invention.
