Within an hour, the professor’s surface coating inactivates the virus that causes COVID-19

Door knobs, light switches, shopping carts. Fear runs rampant today when it comes to touching common surfaces due to the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

A Virginia Tech professor has found a solution.

Since mid-March, William Ducker, a professor of chemical engineering, has developed a surface coating that, when painted on common objects, inactivates SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

“The idea is that when the drops fall on a solid object, the virus inside the drops will be deactivated,” said Ducker.

Since mid-April, Ducker has been working with Leo Poon, a professor and researcher at the University of Hong Kong School of Public Health, to test the film’s success in inactivating the virus. Their research was published on July 13 in Applied materials and ACS interfaces, a scientific journal for chemists, engineers, biologists, and physicists.

The test results have been outstanding, Ducker said. When the coating is painted on glass or stainless steel, the amount of virus is reduced by 99.9 percent in one hour, compared to the uncoated sample.

“An hour is the shortest period we’ve tested so far, and shorter-period testing is ongoing,” Ducker said.

His expectation is that his computer can inactivate the virus in minutes. The results have shown that the coating is robust. It does not peel off after being cut with a razor blade. It also maintains its ability to inactivate the virus after multiple rounds of exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and then disinfection or after being immersed in water for a week, according to tests.

If the success of the project continues, it is a significant discovery in the fight against the spread of the virus.

“Everyone is concerned about touching objects that may have the coronavirus,” said Ducker, who recalled that his wife, in March, questioned whether he should sit on a park bench during the pandemic. “It would help people to relax a little bit.”

Ducker’s research has already focused on making movies that kill bacteria. When the COVID-19 virus began spreading to the United States a few months ago, Ducker wondered, “Why not make a coating that can eradicate a virus, rather than a bacterium?”

“We have to use our chemical knowledge and the experience of other viruses to guess what would kill it [SARS-CoV-2]Ducker said.

Virginia Tech granted essential staff status to Ducker, his two doctors. chemical engineering graduate students, Saeed Behzadinasab and Mohsen Hossein, and Xu Feng from the university’s Department of Chemistry in order to enter campus laboratories to make the film and test its properties.

“It was an interesting experience,” said Ducker. “Almost the entire campus closed, and we were like ghosts wandering the empty halls of Goodwin Hall. But it was very exciting to have such a clear goal. I know it was a difficult time for many bored and unhappy people, or scared. We were just focused on making a coating. “

Next, I needed to find someone who could test the effectiveness of the coating. Through an internet search, Ducker found Poon, known for his work studying SARS-CoV-1, which was the virus that caused the SARS outbreak in 2003 and 2004. Poon has been active in the fight against SARS- CoV-2.

For the Poon tests, Ducker and the graduate students spread three different types of glass and stainless steel coatings. Then they sent the samples to Poon.

Now, Ducker said he hopes to attract funds to mass-produce the film.

To be sure, the film is not a substitute for other safety measures people should take to stop the spread of the coronavirus, such as washing hands, physically distancing themselves, and wearing a mask.

Still, “people won’t have to worry as much about touching objects,” Ducker said. “It will be practical and it will reduce fear.”