Gemini-Q Self-Sanitizing Surface: Langmuir Cover Page (ACS Publication_2022_Volume 38)
Scientists develop new “Gemini-Quaternary technology” to prevent fomite transmissions of infectious diseases
SANTA BARBARA, California, USA, March 4, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, people around the world have begun to critically discern the effectiveness of sanitation. A solution to mitigate the surface transmission of infectious diseases has now been developed by scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara and ACatechol, Inc. (Santa Barbara, CA, USA). This groundbreaking scientific research was published in the prestigious Langmuir (a peer-reviewed journal published by the American Chemical Society) and featured on the journal’s cover page. In the study, the new sanitizing technology outperformed currently available sanitizing and disinfection products with up to 100,000,000 times greater surface germicidal effectiveness.
Scientists around the world have been working progressively to develop new sanitation or disinfection technologies to ensure the absence of transmission of harmful microorganisms through surface contact. Studies show that people touch their face an average of 16 to 23 times per hour, with half of the contact involving the mouth, eyes and nose. Yet current products could not prevent the spread of pathogens via surface contact because it is impossible to wash/sanitize hands, or clean/sanitize objects with every physical contact or droplet deposit. In addition, the surfaces are prone to reinfection immediately afterwards.
Current approaches to solving these problems involve either incorporating heavy metals or biocides such as monoionic quaternary ammonium compounds into surfaces. However, these approaches take several hours to kill germs, and depletion of active ingredients after multiple contacts is inevitable.
“Unfortunately, due to lack of knowledge and misunderstanding, people are currently using metal coated stickers and coatings incorporating biocides in high traffic contact areas for mitigation, which rely on leaching,” says Professor Dr. Kollbe Ahn Ando, corresponding author of this research paper.
The above problems can now be solved by new technology with Gemini-Quaternary Silane. Gemini surfactants are a new class of surfactants that possess two or more hydrophilic head groups separated by a spacer, and display surface activities often orders of magnitude higher than their conventional counterparts.
Despite their superiority, Gemini surfactants have yet to be translated into virucidal/antimicrobial coatings.
“Thanks to the National Science Foundation’s COVID-19 research grant, in this project we have developed a new class of quaternary ammonium coatings mediated by structural elements of potent Gemini surfactants,” said Dr. Roscoe Linstadt, co-lead author of the study.
The study shows that the new class of Gemini-mediated surface disinfection technology immediately kills and inactivates various nosocomial viruses and bacteria as well as bacteria causing skin problems, and continues to remain active on surfaces between cleanings with a residual efficiency > 99.99%. . The germicidal barrier can last up to 15 days.
“This Gemini-Q technology can prevent tens of millions of deaths each year from infections such as hospital-acquired infections, directly responsible for 11 million annual deaths worldwide and the leading cause of hospital deaths. These nosocomial infections are transmitted through surfaces,” said Dr. Kollbe.
Hand sanitizers activated with Gemini-Q technology are already registered with the FDA (https://www.oneforallhands.com), skin care products containing Gemini Q to prevent skin problems such as are also available (https://storybh.com) while the registration of disinfectants is currently pending with the EPA.
Hiroshi Yasuda
ACatechol Inc
805-994-6367
info@oneforallhands.com
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