IIT Roorkee researchers develop nano-coating system for PPEs

IIT Roorkee has developed nano-coating system that can help in reducing the coronavirus transmission. 

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee has developed a nano-coating that can be coated on face masks and Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs), to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission.

The formulation is “beneficial” to frontline medical personnel for coating their existing facemasks and PPEs and can be scaled up further for coating on their gowns.

The nano-coating which has been developed by IIT-Roorkee has been tested and it has effectively killed pathogens within 10-15 minutes.  “The formulation is highly effective against clinical pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli O157," the institute said in a statement.

A team led by Professor Naveen K Navani of Department of Biotechnology and Centre of Nanotechnology along with Pardeep Kumar, Dr. Arun Beniwal, and Ajmal Hussain has developed this nano-coating formulation.

“Facemask is a core component of the personal protective equipment (PPE), along with gown, gloves, and eye protection for frontline healthcare personnel. This nano-coating provides an additional layer of protection against pathogens in existing masks and can curb the transmission risk of the disease,” Professor Naveen said.

The nano-coating formulation contains silver nanoparticles and plant-based antimicrobials. These have a “synergistic killing effect” against the pathogens. “The combined effect of more than three antimicrobial compounds was used for the development of formulation which can be coated on any surface. Since the phytochemicals used in the formulation are known to destroy viruses, it has the potential to inhibit the coronavirus too”, added the statement.

Several IITs across the country have been coming up with new innovations to help the country, healthcare workers in their fight against COVID-19.

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