Researchers have developed an inexpensive, non-toxic coating for almost any fabric that decreases the infectivity of the virus that causes COVID-19 by up to 90 per cent. And in the future, you might be able to spray it on fabric yourself.

And in the future, you might be able to spray it on fabric yourself.

«When you’re walking into a hospital, you want to know that pillow you’re putting your head onto is clean,» says lead author Taylor Wright, a doctoral student in the department of chemistry. «This coating could take a little bit of the worry off frontline workers to have Personal Protection Equipment with antimicrobial properties.»

Researchers soaked fabric in a solution of a bacteria-killing polymer which contains a molecule that releases sterilizing forms of oxygen when light shines on it. They then used an ultraviolet (UV) light to turn this solution to a solid, fixing the coating to the fabric. «This coating has both passive and active antimicrobial properties, killing microbes immediately upon contact, which is then amped up when sunlight hits the cloth,» says senior author Dr. Michael Wolf (he/him), a professor of chemistry.

Both components are safe for human use, and the entire process takes about one hour at room temperature, says Wright. It also makes the fabric hydrophobic, meaning microbes are less likely to stick to the cloth, and doesn’t seem to affect the strength of the fabric.

In addition, the coating can be used on almost any fabric, including cotton, polyester, denim, and silk, with applications in hospital fabrics, masks, and activewear. Whereas other such technologies can involve chemical waste, high energy use, or expensive equipment, the UBC method is relatively easy and affordable, says Wright. «All we need is a beaker and a light bulb. I’m fairly certain I could do the whole process on a stove.»

To test the coating’s bug-killing properties, the researchers bathed treated fabric in bacterial soups of Escherichia coli (E. coli) andMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), both major sources of hospital-acquired infections. They found there were 85 per cent of viable E. coli bacteria remaining after 30 minutes, which fell to three per cent when the treated cloth was exposed to green light for the same amount of time. Similarly, 95 per cent of viable MRSA bacteria remained, dropping to 35 per cent under green light. No bacteria remained after four hours.

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Materials provided by University of British Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.