Researchers have come up with a simple recipe that turns a common disinfectant into a potent virus killer—and they’re putting the recipe out into the public domain
Adding silicone to titanium dioxide dramatically increases its ability to degrade aerosol- and water-borne viruses. Full details are reported in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
“If you’re using titanium dioxide, just take it, treat it for a few minutes with silicone grease or silica or silicic acid, and you will increase its efficiency as a catalyst,” says Andrew Barron, a professor of materials science and chemistry at Rice University.
“We’re taking a nanoparticle that everyone’s been using for years and, with a very simple treatment, we’ve improved its performance by more than three times without any real cost,” adds Barron, who says the discovery’s potential benefits to society as being far more important than any thoughts of commercialization.
Titanium dioxide is used to kill viruses and bacteria and to decompose organics via photocatalysis (exposure to light, usually ultraviolet). The naturally occurring material is also used as a pigment in paints, in sunscreen and even as food coloring.
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