Rapid In Situ Thermal Decontamination of Wearable Composite Textile Materials

Pandemics stress supply lines and generate shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE), in part because most PPE is single-use and disposable, resulting in a need for constant replenishment to cope with high-volume usage. To better prepare for the next pandemic and to reduce waste associated with disposable PPE, we present a composite textile material capable of thermally decontaminating its surface via Joule heating. This material can achieve high surface temperatures (>100 °C) and inactivate viruses quickly (<5 s of heating), as evidenced experimentally with the surrogate virus HCoV-OC43 and in agreement with analytical modeling for both HCoV-OC43 and SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, it does not require doffing because it remains relatively cool near the skin (<40 °C). The material can be easily integrated into clothing and provides a rapid, reusable, in situ decontamination method capable of reducing PPE waste and mitigating the risk of supply line disruptions in times of need.