RAPID: Regenerable Antiviral Nanoporous Materials for Protection

Mathematical and Physical Sciences - Non-Technical Abstract

With over 2 million positive cases and 160 thousand deaths as of mid-April 2020, global society is currently suffering physically, socially, economically, and politically because of the ongoing pandemic outbreak - Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The main pathway that the virus is spreading is through respiratory droplets produced when people sneeze or cough, which can then infect people nearby. Thus, the United States? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended covering one?s face to help slow down the spread of the virus. The traditional face masks, however, can only act as a physical barrier, which means that the virus will stay active on the mask and can still be transmitted if touched while removing/wearing the mask. Therefore, developing face masks to deactivate the viral threats can efficiently stop/slow the spread of the highly infectious virus, COVID-19. With funding from the Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program in the Division of Materials Research of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate, this Rapid Response Research (RAPID) grant supports research that focuses on developing antiviral masks by chemically modifying the textile surfaces to deactivate the viral threats; this in turn reduces the risk of spreading the virus and generates reusable masks. The research serves the national interest and NSF?s mission by developing advanced technologies from hypothesis-driven scientific research to protect our nation?s physical, social, economic, and political health and welfare.

Technical Abstract

This Rapid Response Research (RAPID) grant supports research that employs nanoporous materials to modify textile fibers and generate antiviral facial masks with funding from the Solid State and Materials Chemistry Program in the Division of Materials Research of the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate. The support enables a materials science approach that mitigates the negative impacts of COVID-19 on public health. Masks that not only protect the wearer but also deactivate the virus significantly reduce the spread of infectious viral threats such as COVID-19 since an active virus residing on a mask still possesses a great threat to the wearer and their environment. This research project investigates means to cover the surfaces of textile fibers with antiviral agents that are active towards viral threats; in this way, the viruses can be deactivated by disintegration upon contact and/or post-treatment while filtered air is allowed to pass through the mask safely. Specifically, the researchers employ the integration of metal?organic framework based antiviral composites on textiles-based facial masks and later on N95 or similar masks. The protective nano layer added on the masks enables the disintegration of the viral threats, which allows the reuse of masks due to reduction of cross contamination during removal and/or wearing of the masks. This RAPID project offers a solution to the severely urgent challenge of the shortage of effective antiviral protective materials while advancing physical and materials science and educating the general public on the research-driven solutions to global challenges.

This grant is being awarded using funds made available by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supplemental funds allocated to MPS.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.