Topic: Biology

Researchers have made a thin plastic film that can physically destroy viruses when they touch it. This breakthrough could help reduce the spread of diseases from everyday objects like smartphones and hospital equipment.

Scientists have created a new type of plastic film that can destroy viruses just by touching them. This breakthrough could help stop the spread of diseases from things we use every day, like our phones and keyboards. The plastic film is made from acrylic and has tiny structures called nanopillars on its surface. These nanopillars grip onto a virus and stretch it until it breaks apart. This method is more effective than earlier designs that tried to puncture viruses. In tests using the human parainfluenza virus 3, which causes bronchiolitis and pneumonia, the results were impressive. Within one hour of contact, about 94% of virus particles were either torn apart or damaged so severely that they could no longer cause infection. The researchers used low-cost materials and designed the film to be practical for real-world use. Unlike earlier antiviral surfaces made from metals or silicon, this new approach uses flexible plastic that can be produced at scale.

The team discovered that how closely the nanopillars are spaced plays a much bigger role than how tall they are in breaking viruses apart. By tweaking the spacing and height of the nanopillars, they found that when the nanopillars are closer together, more of them can press on the same virus at once, stretching its outer shell past breaking point.

The findings suggest a clear design principle: the closer the nanostructures like spikes or nanopillars are to each other, the more effective they are at destroying viruses. The strongest performance came from surfaces where nanopillars were spaced about 60 nanometers apart. Increasing that distance to 100 nanometers reduced the antiviral effect, while spacing of 200 nanometers nearly eliminated it.

Why It Matters

This breakthrough could help reduce the spread of diseases in India, especially in crowded public places like schools and hospitals. It also highlights the importance of innovative solutions to real-world problems.

Key Facts

• Scientists have created a plastic film that can physically destroy viruses on contact
• The film is made from acrylic and has tiny structures called nanopillars on its surface
• The nanopillars grip onto a virus and stretch it until it breaks apart
• In tests, the film reduced human parainfluenza virus 3 infectivity by up to 1.2-log (∼94%) within 1 hour
• The team used low-cost materials and designed the film to be practical for real-world use

Key Terms

Nanopillars

Tiny structures on the surface of the plastic film that grip onto a virus and stretch it until it breaks apart

Implications

This breakthrough could help reduce the spread of diseases in India, especially in crowded public places like schools and hospitals. It also highlights the importance of innovative solutions to real-world problems.