Current Affairs 2020 Current Affairs April 2020

Researchers of IIT Guwahati developed affordable antimicrobial spray-based coating for PPE

April 26, 2020

IIT-Guwahati researchers have developed an affordable antimicrobial spray-based coating for PPE and 3D printed Ear Guard for comfortable use of face masks by healthcare workers.

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) researchers have developed affordable antimicrobial (antiviral/antibacterial) spray-based coating for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) along with 3D-printed ‘Ear Guard for comfortable use of face masks by healthcare workers.

Antimicrobial spray-based coating for PPE:

The IIT stated PPE that are being used presently are designed to protect the wearer from infectious microbes/aqueous virus droplets acting as a barrier. However, these PPE, generally, do not have the ability to prevent the spread of microbes as the surface of the fabric readily allows adherence and accumulation of microbes with time. This leads to further spread of the microbes due to negligent handling of PPE and wrong disposal protocols.
In an attempt to safeguard healthcare workers and citizens from current coronavirus crisis and other infectious diseases, the research group has developed an affordable antimicrobial (antiviral/antibacterial) spray-based coating for PPE kits to kill and prevent the spread of microbes once they come in contact with the coated PPE surface. The strategic association of metal nanoparticle cocktail, such as copper, silver and other active ingredients, present in the spray acts as an antimicrobial agent.
This ensures limited penetration and accumulation of microbial contaminants on PPE. Thus, the coating has the potential to reduce the risk of secondary infection by limiting the transmission of the microbes.
The innovation is affordable and readily deployable using existing infrastructure available with PPE manufacturers. It can be spray/dip-coated onto any kind of surface including textiles and other medical device surfaces to get rid of microbial load. This will allow reusability of PPEs and easy containment of the microbes.