Normal breathing leads to thousands of micro-drops of saliva and mucous being propelled out of the lungs through the mouth and nose. Their number can increase one hundred times when you cough or even speak loudly. SARS-CoV-2 is a mainly airborne virus, which is why it is essential to prevent contact between healthy individuals and any bodily fluids of infected people, even if they are asymptomatic.

A way to contain bioaerosols

Besides physical distance, the simplest way to protect yourself is to use a facemask with a filter. In practice, the solution is far from perfect. As emphasized by Professor Tomasz Ciach, a researcher from the WUT Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering and founder of NanoSanguis, bioaerosols are deposited on the external surface of the facemask. Users often repeatedly put facemasks on and take them off, touching the surface and later their mouth, eyes or nose. Thus, they contribute to the transfer of the virus into their own body or onto other objects. If a facemask is worn for longer periods of time, such as several days, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and microscopic fungi within the filtration structure, which promotes the transfer of diseases.

To solve this problem, the NanoSanguis team has developed facemasks for the Gdynia-based company Marion. The facemasks have a special coating which kills bacteria and fungi, and quite probably also incapacitates viruses. “Research into the inactivation of the SARS COV-2 virus must be carried out in a special laboratory with the highest isolation class, which is currently difficult. Such labs are being used to prepare samples used to detect the virus in sick patients,” Professor Ciach explains.

Further research

Work on advanced biocidal coatings is also being done at the WUT Faculty of Chemical and Process Engineering. PhD research and two international grant projects are being carried out, focusing on the production of a special coating for medical devices, such as urinary catheters and stents. The use of layers which neutralize harmful organisms could reduce the number of catheter-associated infections, i.e. frequent and dangerous hospital complications causing infections, sepsis and consequently even death.