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Dec 22, 2021

Coating surfaces with a thin layer of copper has the potential to kill the virus causing COVID-19 faster

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, engineering, genetics

Researchers have discovered that using a thin-film coating of copper or copper compounds on surfaces could enhance copper’s ability to inactivate or destroy the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19.

In a study that began soon after the pandemic hit in March 2020, University of Waterloo engineering graduate students investigated how six different thin metal and oxide coatings interacted with HCov-229E, a coronavirus that is genetically like SARS-CoV-2 but safer to work with.

“While there was already some data out there on the lifetime of the on common-touch surfaces like stainless steel, plastics and , the lifetime of the virus on engineered coatings was less understood,” said Kevin Mussleman, the Waterloo mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor who led the study.

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