COVID-19 has pushed many people to wear face masks and other protective equipment to prevent being infected by the virus. And now, protecting clothing may be getting an upgrade.
According to Phys Org's previous report, researchers have recently developed a new washable and durable textile coating that can block bacteria and viruses, including COVID-19.
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Gowns, face masks, and other personal protective equipment or PPE are important for those who need to go out during the pandemic, especially for healthcare workers who are fighting the pandemic on the frontline.
However, viruses and bacteria can linger on the textiles and other surfaces that can lead to accidentally spreading the coronavirus that the wearer sought to contain.
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It is important to find ways that can provide better protection while allowing for the safe reuse of the items since PPE are in short supply in many hospitals.
Researchers created a washable and durable fabric coating that could repel bacteria and viruses including COVID-19
According to Phys Org, a solution for the current issue of PPEs may have been resolved by a group of researchers from the LAMP Lab at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering.
They developed a textile coating that can not only block liquids such as saliva and blood but can also repel bacteria and viruses before it can touch the surface.
The journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces previously published the results of the study. Anthony Galante, a Ph.D. student in industrial engineering at Pittsburgh and the lead author of the study, said the team was interested in creating a textile coating that could block different viruses. The study focused on blood-repellent surfaces and tried to achieve it with mechanical durability.
The characteristics of the fabric to withstand ultrasonic scrubbing, washing, and scraping, makes it different from other textile coatings. Although there are other coatings created with the same ability, rubbing or washing the surface will eliminate or reduce its repellent abilities.
Paul Leu, co-author and associate professor of industrial engineering who leads the LAMP Lab, explained that durability is essential during the pandemic since surface treatments are mostly limited to disposable textiles. Since medical experts and workers are facing PPE shortage, coatings and fabrics that can be properly sanitized and washed which can be applied to reusable medical textiles are very important.
The researchers tested the new coating by applying thousands of rotations with a scrubbing pad, running the textile through ultrasonic washes, and even using a sharp razor blade to scrape the fabric's surface. After each trial, the textile coating remained unaffected.
