New Coating Keeps Surfaces Germ-Free for Months at a Time - ExtremeTech:
Scientists at the University of Michigan have developed a durable coating that continuously kills both viruses and bacteria. It's clear and can be brushed or sprayed onto a variety of surfaces. Though made with hospitals, airports, and other high-traffic areas in mind, the coating could be used to eliminate germs on touch screens, personal computer keyboards, and even cutting boards.
[...] Lab tests proved the coating capable of killing SARS-CoV-2 (the virus associated with COVID-19), E. coli, MRSA, and a number of other common pathogens. The coating continued to kill 99.9 percent of viruses and bacteria for six months (the length of the experiment), during which test surfaces were given a bit of a beating: Raw chicken was placed on the coated cutting board while the coated keyboard and smartphone were repeatedly touched. The scientists even compared coated surfaces with uncoated surfaces that had been cleaned with a Clorox wipe, exposed to UV light for 12 hours, and kept in a freezing environment for 25 hours. There were fewer germs on the coated surface than on the one that underwent an obsessive level of cleaning.
If you're wondering how such an aggressive substance can possibly be safe for those who touch it, there's more good news: the antimicrobials that lend the coating its germ-killing capabilities are derived from tea tree oil and cinnamon oil, two nature-derived substances that have long been used for cleaning purposes. The antimicrobials themselves are "generally regarded as safe" by the FDA and can even sometimes be found in food. To function as a coating, the antimicrobials are added to polyurethane, another safe and commonly-used substance. Though the oils in the coating begin to evaporate after about six months, all it takes is a quick swipe with more oil to make the coating effective again.
Journal Reference:
Dhyani et al., Surfaces with instant and persistent antimicrobial efficacy against bacteria and SARS-CoV-2, Matter (2022), 10.1016/j.matt.2022.08.018
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Barenflimski on Tuesday September 06 2022, @05:12AM (2 children)
Many of those viruses they listed aren't transferable on surfaces in any medically significant way.
Tea Tree oil and Cinnamon oil are nothing new. I've had hippy friends soaking themselves in that stuff for decades, and they are far from clean and bacteria free. I've had countless friends tell me about this or some sort of "environmentally friendly" mixture for years.
I'd be surprised if putting a coating of these compounds on a touch screen was really of much use. To think one would stick this on a screen and not wipe it down in 6 month. Seems like one would want to wipe the smeared ketchup and human body oils off the thing sooner than that.
Any chance this is Doterra or the like, trying to increase sales?
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Tuesday September 06 2022, @06:18AM
I guess that's what the polyurethane is for.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday September 06 2022, @11:10AM
Little company in Gainesville Florida "invented" a silver bearing "nano textured" surface coating somehow inspired by shark skin... Similar claims, probably longer lasting.
As far as I remember they went bankrupt about 10 years ago and nobody picked up the IP for further development.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 3, Informative) by sonamchauhan on Tuesday September 06 2022, @07:30AM (2 children)
When I Google "Safe polyurethane substitute", I get a Google smart answer: "Tung Oil"
https://www.google.com/search?q=safe+polyurethane+substitute [google.com]
Other suggestions are linseed oil, candelilla wax, and shellac.
Maybe then, this is a DIY solution you can make at home that has the same effect:
tea tree oil + cinnamon oil + tung oil
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Tuesday September 06 2022, @11:16AM
Tung oil is tricky. I used it to seal a lot of unfinished wood in the house we bought ~10 years ago (and still live in today). It does best on surfaces that are rarely, if ever, touched.
On the stairs handrail it attracted and mixed with daily grime and turned into a nasty grey mess that's very hard to remove, but does wear clean in the highest "touch" regions. Oh, and it also appears to be an attractive insect food in some places, but overall it's a nice finish on about 90% of the area I applied it.
Україна досі не є частиною Росії Слава Україні🌻 https://news.stanford.edu/2023/02/17/will-russia-ukraine-war-end
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday September 07 2022, @04:24AM
shellac - made from ground up lac bugs (insects), dissolves in denatured alcohol (ethanol). Used on fancy wood items that get a "French Polish" -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_polish [wikipedia.org]
Gave me an idea--we have too damn many Japanese beetles, chewing on the raspberry leaves. Maybe ground up these would make a useful product? After ~100 years of introduction to N. America, these still don't seen to be eaten by anything, so they multiply like mad.
linseed oil - originally recommended for the redwood siding on my parent's house (c.1960), cut half and half with turpentine to thin it to brushable consistency. Stayed sticky, attracted a lot of dirt on the windward side of the house. Not used anymore, replaced with a modern clear wood preservative to keep the redwood from getting too dark.