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Liquid repellency enabled antipathogen coatings

W Li1,2, Y Wang3,4,5, X Tang1,2

  • 1Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

Materials Today. Bio
|October 13, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Novel liquid-repellent coatings effectively prevent the spread of viruses like SARS-CoV-2 by repelling pathogen droplets. This innovative approach significantly reduces viral remnants on surfaces, offering a new strategy for infection control.

Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Infectious Disease Control
  • Nanotechnology

Background:

  • Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, a respiratory virus spread via droplets.
  • Emerging immune-evasive variants and limited antiviral efficacy necessitate alternative control strategies beyond vaccines and therapeutics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the efficacy of liquid-repellent coatings in preventing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.
  • To explore the mechanism by which these coatings minimize pathogen attachment and deposition.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing SARS-CoV-2 as a model pathogen to test super-liquid-repellent surfaces.
  • Quantifying viral remnants on coated versus uncoated surfaces.
  • Analyzing the relationship between liquid/solid adhesion and pathogen attachment.

Main Results:

  • SARS-CoV-2 remnants were reduced by seven orders of magnitude on coated surfaces, significantly outperforming disinfectants.
  • Viral remnant scaling was found to be exponential with liquid/solid adhesion, revealing the underlying mechanism.
  • A dual-action antipathogen coating combining liquid repellency and inactivation properties was successfully demonstrated.

Conclusions:

  • Liquid-repellent coatings offer a potent strategy for infection control, particularly in the absence of effective vaccines or therapeutics.
  • The developed antipathogen coating is versatile, applicable to various substrates and pathogens, and valuable for everyday infection prevention.
  • Understanding and controlling liquid-solid adhesion is key to minimizing pathogen attachment and transmission.
Keywords:
Antipathogen coatingDropletLiquid/solid adhesionSARS-CoV-2Wettability

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