COVID-19 RAPID RESPONSE: ANTIVIRAL COATING FOR THE INACTIVATION OF SARS-COV-2 IN FOOD MANUFACTURING AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

The overall goal of Claros Technologies' SBIR Phase I R&D program is to develop and demonstrate a proof of concept of a new food-grade antiviral coating for non-contact surfaces and plastic materials used in food manufacturing plants and livestock production facilities. The new coating will be designed and tested for rapid inactivation of SARS-CoV-2. An accompanying goal of this work is to create scalable capacity to convert food and livestock production sites surrounding the production line into an antiviral environment to curb the transmission of COVID-19 and other viral threats.The project has the following primary objectives:Objective 1) Improve our understanding of the fundamentals of the catalytic and antiviral properties of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and the structure-functionality relationship of these nanoparticles.Objective 2) Functionalize different surfaces and plastics with antiviral nanoparticles using the Claros' coating technology.Objective 3) Establish the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on coated surfaces and plastics and estimate their decay rates.Objective 4) Evaluate the durability of the antiviral properties against cleaning or washing, and evaluate the safety and environmental impact of the new technology.