Researchers from the LAMP Lab at the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering created a textile coating that can repel liquids like blood and saliva and prevent viruses like COVID-19 from adhering to the surface.

An illustration shows the treated textile's ability to repel fluids. Source: University of Pittsburgh

The team tested the coating against a strain of human adenovirus types four and seven. The adenovirus was repelled in a similar way to proteins.

There are similar coatings currently in use that can repel liquids, but their repellant abilities are reduced or completely eliminated with washing or rubbing over time. The new coating has the unique ability to withstand ultrasonic washing, scrubbing and scraping.

To test the longevity of the material, the new coating was tested by running it through several ultrasonic washes and thousands of scrubbing rotations. They also scraped the material repeatedly with a sharp razor blade. After testing, the coating was just as effective.

There are broad applications for the coating in healthcare. It could potentially be applied to personal protective equipment (PPE), which is essential to protecting healthcare workers. Untreated textiles and materials can absorb and carry viruses and bacteria, resulting in the inadvertent spread of diseases.

Currently, the coating is applied with drop-casting, which saturates the material with a solution from a syringe and a heat treatment is applied to increase stability. The team believes that this process can be done using a spraying or dipping method for larger pieces of material and scaled-up production.

The next step for the researchers is to test the effectiveness against betacoronaviruses.

A paper on this material was published in ACS Applied Materials Interfaces.