“The plastic film with the additive proved to be able to achieve this goal in a much shorter time and the viricidal action increased over time,” said Lucio Freitas Junior, a researcher at the institute, cited in a statement released by FAPESP.
For the study, samples of materials with and without silver and silica microparticles incorporated into the structure were used, which were maintained in direct contact with SARS-CoV-2 at different time intervals.
After the stipulated deadlines, the new coronavirus present in the samples of the material was collected and placed in contact with Vero cells – type of cell line used in microbiological cultures – to assess the capacity of infection and multiplication after exposure in the adhesive plastic.
The results indicated a reduction of almost 100% in the copies of SARS-CoV-2 that were in contact with samples of the adhesive plastic after two minutes of exposure to the material.
“As silver and silica microparticles are added to the plastic mass during production, the antimicrobial action is maintained throughout the life of the material,” said Luiz Gustavo Pagotto Simões, director of Nanox.
The manufacturer of the plastic with the additive, however, recommends its use for up to three months, to avoid wearing the material due to excessive contact.
Adhesive film is the second plastic material with silver and silica microparticles marketed by Nanox, which has developed a reusable mask made with a flexible plastic and the additive applied to its surface.
Silver and silica microparticles have also been applied by Nanox to fabrics for the development of anti-covid-19 clothing.
In fabrics, silver and silica microparticles are impregnated on the surface by an immersion process, followed by drying and fixing, called ‘pad-dry-cure’.
Brazil is the Portuguese-speaking country most affected by the pandemic and one of the hardest hit in the world, when counting the second number of deaths (more than 4.3 million cases and 132,006 deaths), after the United States of America.
The covid-19 pandemic has already claimed at least 929,391 deaths and more than 29.3 million cases of infection in 196 countries and territories, according to a report by the French agency AFP.