An adhesive plastic sheet designed by Promaflex, that is used to protect doorknobs, lift buttons and touch screens, can also inactivate the novel coronavirus on the surface.
According to the report published in New Medical Life Sciences, the plastic film has nanoparticles of silver and silica built into its polyethylene structure.
To examine the efficacy of the sheet, the researchers at the University of São Paulo's Biomedical Sciences Institute (ICB-USP), conducted trials that revealed the sheet is capable of eliminating 99.84 per cent of the viral particles after two minutes of contact.
Lucio Freitas Junior, Researcher at ICB-USP, said in a statement: "The technical standard governing measurement of antiviral activity on plastic and other non-porous surfaces, ISO 21702, requires demonstration of this capability within four hours. The plastic film with silver-silica nanoparticles did so far sooner, and its virucidal action increased over time."