Coating surfaces with a thin layer of copper has the potential to kill the virus causing COVID-19 faster

Preparing for an online start to the winter term: for more information. Engineering research team tested coatings that were 1,000 times thinner than a human hair Researchers have discovered that using a thin-film coating of copper or copper compounds on surfaces could enhance copper's ability to inactivate or destroy the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID-19. In a study that began soon after the pandemic hit in March 2020, University of Waterloo engineering graduate students investigated how six different thin metal and oxide coatings interacted with HCov-229E, a coronavirus that is genetically like SARS-CoV-2 but safer to work with.  "While there was already some data out there on the lifetime of the virus on common-touch surfaces like stainless steel, plastics and copper, the lifetime of the virus on engineered coatings was less understood," said Kevin Mussleman, the Waterloo mechanical and mechatronics engineering professor who led the study. The Waterloo team partnered with Wilfrid Laurier researchers who tested the effectiveness of the antiviral coatings on glass and N95 mask fabric. Testing involved depositing coatings that were about 1,000 times thinner than a human hair, then immersing the coated glass and fabric in a viral solution or exposing them to smaller droplets of the viral solution. After removing the virus from the coatings, each extract was placed in contact with healthy cells and measured for its ability to replicate. Results showed the other coatings did not have the same antiviral effects as copper or a copper-containing compound.