Coated fiber. Image: Vi Khanh Truong
An international team of researchers used liquid gallium to create an antiviral and antimicrobial coating and tested it on a range of fabrics, including facemasks. The coating adhered more strongly to fabric than some conventional metal coatings, and eradicated 99% of several common pathogens within five minutes.
“Microbes can survive on the fabrics hospitals use for bedding, clothing and face masks for a long time,” says Michael Dickey, co-corresponding author of a paper on the work and Camille & Henry Dreyfus Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at North Carolina State University. “Metallic surface coatings such as copper or silver are an effective way to eradicate these pathogens, but many metal particle coating technologies have issues such as non-uniformity, processing complexity, or poor adhesion.”
Dickey and colleagues from NC State, Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) in Korea and RMIT University in Australia set out to develop a simple, cost-effective way to deposit metal coatings on fabric.
First, the researchers placed liquid gallium (Ga) into an ethanol solution and used sound waves – a process known as sonication – to create Ga nanoparticles. The nanoparticle solution was then spray coated onto the fabric and the Ga adhered to the fibers as the ethanol evaporated.
Then the researchers dipped the Ga-coated fabric into a copper sulfate solution, creating a spontaneous galvanic replacement reaction. The reaction deposits copper onto the fabric, creating a coating of liquid metal copper alloy nanoparticles.
To test the coated fabric’s antimicrobial properties, the research team exposed the fabric to three common microbes: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. These microbes grow aggressively on non-coated fabrics. The copper alloy coated fabric eradicated over 99% of the pathogens within five minutes, which was significantly more effective than control samples coated with only copper.
The team collaborated with Elisa Crisci, assistant professor of virology at NC State, and Frank Scholle, associate professor of biological sciences at NC State, to show that the coatings also work against viruses. The coatings were tested against human influenza (H1N1) and coronavirus (HCoV 229E, which is in the same family as SARS-CoV-2). The coatings eradicated the viruses after five minutes.
“Our tests indicate that these liquid metal-copper coated fabrics demonstrate superior antimicrobial performance compared to other copper coated surfaces and two commercial antimicrobial facemasks that rely on copper and silver respectively,” says Vi Khanh Truong, Vice Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow at RMIT University, visiting Fulbright Scholar and co-corresponding author of the research.
“This is a better method for generating metal coatings of fabrics, particularly for antimicrobial applications, both in terms of adhesion and antimicrobial performance,” says Ki Yoon Kwon, postdoctoral associate at SKKU and first author of the work.
“It could also work with metals other than copper, such as silver,” says Tae-il Kim, co-corresponding author of the research and professor at SKKU. “It is also a simple method, which should be relatively straightforward to scale up for mass production.”
Original Article: Liquid Metal Coating Creates Effective Antiviral, Antimicrobial Fabric
More from: North Carolina State University | Sungkyunkwan University | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Antiviral fabric
- Fabric Discovery Center (FDC)on April 24, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Where small businesses, startups and large organizations turn ideas into valuable solutions. The UMass Lowell Fabric Discovery Center (FDC) is home to the first and only site in the nation that ...
- iFabric Corp. Announces US EPA Registration of TWO New Cutting-Edge Antimicrobial Technologieson April 23, 2024 at 3:32 am
MARKHAM, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 23, 2024 / iFabric Corp. ("iFabric" or the "Company") (TSX:IFA)(OTCQX:IFABF), a leading provider of innovative apparel and textile technologies, announces that its who ...
- Novel graphene oxide spray coating advances antiviral protection of face maskson April 22, 2024 at 9:57 am
In the relentless battle against airborne viruses, researchers have developed a new spray coating to improve the antiviral efficacy of personal protective equipment, notably face masks. The study is ...
- Antiviral agents articles from across Nature Portfolioon April 15, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Antiviral agents are drugs that inhibit the spread of virus, for example by preventing replication of the genome, blocking entry to host cells, or inhibiting viral protein synthesis or viral ...
- 7 best N95 masks for protection against infections and pollutionon April 12, 2024 at 4:30 pm
Save yourself from exposure to air pollution and air-borne infections when you use an N95 mask. These masks have multiple layers, each one serving a specific purpose in filtration and comfort. These ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Antiviral fabric
[google_news title=”” keyword=”antiviral fabric” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Antimicrobial fabric
- Ace it: The best tennis clothing brandson April 26, 2024 at 10:35 am
If you’ve ever tuned into Wimbledon, you’ll know that style is as much a part of tennis as having an impressive backhand. With summer (hopefully) fast approaching, bringing along with it the return of ...
- Best running shorts for women of 2024, tested by editorson April 25, 2024 at 11:31 am
We logged more than 10 miles in eight pairs of the most popular running shorts and landed on these four options as the best for their comfort, style, utility and performance.
- This new fabric is poised to revolutionise the world of sportswear and activewearon April 24, 2024 at 2:53 am
TechnoSport, known for innovative sportswear, has unveiled a new fabric technology — Cotflex. This revolutionary fabric, developed by TechoSport's research and development team, represents a ...
- iFabric Corp. Announces US EPA Registration of TWO New Cutting-Edge Antimicrobial Technologieson April 23, 2024 at 3:32 am
MARKHAM, ON / ACCESSWIRE / April 23, 2024 / iFabric Corp. ("iFabric" or the "Company") (TSX:IFA)(OTCQX:IFABF), a leading provider of innovative apparel and textile technologies, announces that its who ...
- Goodbye, Fabric Mats—The 5 Best Stone Bath Mats Are Antimicrobial and Quick-Dryingon April 22, 2024 at 6:24 am
"One by one, they got out with sopping wet little bodies, and by the time the next kid was ready to hop in, the mat was already dry," writes our tester in her stone bath mat review. The Sutera mat ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Antimicrobial fabric
[google_news title=”” keyword=”antimicrobial fabric” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]