Effectiveness of antiviral metal and metal oxide thin-film coatings against human coronavirus 229E.

Virucidal thin-film coatings have the potential to inactivate pathogens on surfaces, preventing or slowing their spread. Six potential nanoscale antiviral coatings, Cu, CuO, Ag, ZnO, zinc tin oxide (ZTO), and TiO, are deposited on glass, and their ability to inactivate the HCoV-229E human coronavirus is assessed using two methods. In one method, droplets containing HCoV-229E are deposited on thin-film coatings and then collected after various stages of desiccation.

Tuning the band gap and carrier concentration of titania films grown by spatial atomic layer deposition: a precursor comparison.

Spatial atomic layer deposition retains the advantages of conventional atomic layer deposition: conformal, pinhole-free films and excellent control over thickness. Additionally, it allows higher deposition rates and is well-adapted to depositing metal oxide nanofilms for photovoltaic cells and other devices. This study compares the morphological, electrical and optical properties of titania thin films deposited by spatial atomic layer deposition from titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) and titanium tetrachloride (TiCl) over the temperature range 100-300 °C, using the oxidant HO.

Electrochemical removal of anodic aluminium oxide templates for the production of phase-pure cuprous oxide nanorods for antimicrobial surfaces.

Antimicrobial surfaces are ones that incapacitate or kill pathogens landing on them, which could allow for self-sanitising surfaces for hospitals or implants, ensuring healthier stays and procedures. Cuprous compounds such as CuO are especially effective at incapacitating both viruses and bacteria, and nanorod arrays have been shown to prevent the adhesion of pathogens and mechanically deform bacteria to the point that their cell walls rupture. A CuO nanorod array should therefore allow for the exploitation of both of these effects.