Researchers at RMIT University in Australia recently developed a silicon-based surface material with a nano-textured structure. The surface is covered with ultra-fine nano-pillar spikes invisible to the naked eye, which can physically pierce the outer envelope of the virus, thereby significantly weakening the virus's ability to infect. Researchers say this material is expected to be used on high-touch surfaces such as mobile phone screens, keyboards, and hospital desktops in the future to reduce the risk of disease transmission in shared spaces.
The report pointed out that in public environments such as offices and hospitals, people may become infected by inhaling tiny droplets containing virus particles, or they may become infected by contact with contaminated surfaces such as door handles and countertops. This new development in the field of materials science is trying to alleviate this problem with the help of extremely tiny "spike structures".
The new material is made of silicon, has anti-reflective properties and appears black to the naked eye. The key lies in the large number of nanopillars with extremely sharp tips arranged on the surface. These structures can pierce the lipid outer membrane of the virus particles, causing the virus to "deflate" and lose its original structural integrity. Research shows that once the virus is destroyed in this way, its infectivity is almost completely eliminated within 6 hours.
To verify the effect, the research team placed droplets of a common respiratory virus, human parainfluenza virus type 3 (hPIV-3), on two different silicon surfaces for comparative experiments: one was a nano-textured surface covered with millions of tiny spikes, and the other was a smooth and flat silicon surface. The researchers used high-power microscopes and laboratory infectivity testing methods to track the interaction between the virus and different surface textures during an observation period of up to 6 hours.
Experimental results show that these micro-spikes are like countless fine needles that can directly pierce the protective fatty membrane on the outside of the virus, causing the virus particles to collapse and lose structural stability. In contrast, viruses that stayed on smooth surfaces mostly remained intact and dangerous, whereas on such spiky surfaces, 96% of infectious viruses were destroyed within 6 hours. This shows that this mechanical "nano-spike" design can effectively inactivate pathogens without relying on toxic chemicals.
Combining existing research on nanotexture materials, the research team believes that this technology is theoretically expected to play a similar role on a variety of viruses including SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus (RV), and human coronavirus NL63. However, no specific tests have been carried out for these viruses one by one. In addition, this material has also shown some effectiveness in inhibiting certain bacteria, indicating that its application potential may not be limited to anti-viral scenarios.
The researchers believe that this achievement opens up space for the development of new safety materials and surface coatings, which may be widely used to improve the hygienic safety of daily products in the future. Samson Mah, the first author of the paper, said that in the future, people may be able to see mobile phone screens, keyboards, hospital desktops and other surfaces covered with this film, which can quickly deactivate viruses after contact without the use of harsh chemicals. He also pointed out that the mold developed by the team can be adapted to the roll-to-roll manufacturing process, which means that antiviral plastic films are expected to be produced on a large scale using existing factory equipment in the future.
However, further optimization is needed to move from laboratory results to commercial applications. The researchers said that the next step is to continue to improve the nanotexture design to improve the efficiency of the material in killing viruses. Mah explained that when the nanopillars are arranged more closely, more spikes can act on the same virus particle at the same time, thereby stretching the virus shell to the breaking limit, further enhancing the destructive effect.
It is reported that the research results have been published in "Advanced Science".