The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has generated tremendous interest in how the virus spreads throughout populations as well as how it is deactivated. New types of surface treatments that exhibit antipathogenic “contact-kill†capabilities are urgently sought to protect public health and welfare. To this end, cuprous oxide is reported as a highly effective antimicrobial compound; while the origin of its antimicrobial property remains unknown, it is hypothesized to be a consequence of atomic-level copper vacancies in its crystal lattice that provide highly charged atomic environments. These locally energetic regions in the lattice are thought to disrupt and destroy cell membranes and/or the protein shell of viruses. Interdisciplinary research quantifies connections between the cuprous oxide lattice condition and its biocidal activity to permit rational engineering of this abundant, inexpensive and easily handled material for incorporation into coatings for public spaces.
TECHNICAL DETAILS: Correlations between the cuprous oxide lattice defect condition and its antipathogenic response to representative organisms are quantified through structural and electronic probes, including magnetometry and photoabsorption. Lattice-defective cuprous oxide, synthesized by high-energy mechanical processing, is incorporated into coatings and subjected to biological assays to quantify any reduction in viable bacteria and viruses after prolonged exposure. Students and junior researchers involved in this project work at the typically unfrequented intersection of inorganic materials science and biology. These tests, which are designed to simulate actual conditions where a pathogen might survive on a given surface, provide enabling knowledge to engineer cuprous oxide, and perhaps other oxide materials, for antipathogenic purposes to address the current COVID-19 pandemic and to proactively confront future health challenges.
This award is being funded by the CARES Act supplemental funds allocated to MPS.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
