S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT-G Research 2020, the researchers at Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati developed affordable antiviral spray based coating for personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent the spread of infection.
That is not all about IIT-G Research 2020. Researchers at the prestigious institute have also gone of 3D printing of ‘ear guard’ to ensure comfortable use of face masks by healthcare workers.
IIT-G Research 2020
Sources from the well-known educational institution say that as far as IIT-G Research 2020 is concerned,
the concepts have been developed by Dr. Biman B. Mandal, Professor, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati along with his PhD scholars Mr. Bibhas K. Bhunia and Mr. Ashutosh Bandyopadhyay.
Sources further say, the institute has been fighting relentlessly against COVID-19 pandemic and are making all efforts to further strengthen the war against the disease. This aspect of IIT-G Research 2020 is for giving a boost to these efforts.
Talking about IIT-G Research 2020, Professor Dr Biman B. Mandal Effective yet affordable technologies are need of the hour for India.
‘We at IIT-G under the leadership of our Director, Professor T.G. Sitharam are committed to contribute to the nation’s immediate need at this hour of COVID-19 crisis.’ IIT-G Research 2020 had a good deal of focus on how to effectively battle the coronavirus spread.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that are being used presently are designed to protect the wearer from infectious microbes/aqueous virus droplets acting as a barrier.
However, these PPE, generally, do not have the ability to prevent the spread of microbes as the surface of the fabric readily allows adherence and accumulation of microbes with time.
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This leads to further spread of the microbes due to negligent handling of PPE and wrong disposal protocols.
In an attempt to safeguard healthcare workers and citizens from current Coronavirus crisis and other infectious diseases, the research group as a part of the present IIT-G Research 2020 has developed an affordable antimicrobial (antiviral/antibacterial) spray-based coating for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to kill and prevent the spread of microbes once they come in contact with the coated PPE surface.
The strategic association of metal nanoparticle cocktail, such as copper, silver and other active ingredients, present in the spray acts as an antimicrobial agent.
This ensures limited penetration and accumulation of microbial contaminants on PPE. Thus, the coating has the potential to reduce the risk of secondary infection by limiting the transmission of the microbes.
The innovation is affordable and readily deployable using existing infrastructure available with PPE manufacturers.
It can be spray/dip-coated onto any kind of surface including textiles and other medical device surfaces to get rid of microbial load. This will allow reusability of PPEs and easy containment of the microbes.
The research team has developed the prototype of the technology. Further validation of product safety is ongoing and antimicrobial action specifically against Coronavirus will be done at a government facility. The team has filed for a Provisional Patent for the technology.
Revealing further information on this aspect of IIT-G Research 2020 he says the spray based coating technology has advantage of killing microbes. This will allow reusability of masks and other PPEs.
Long-time usage of strapped and tight-fitting face masks is painful to the ears. This has been a major concern with healthcare workers who have to wear these masks for hours during duty cycle.
Even for commoners during corona crisis, masks are to be worn constantly. To address this critical issue, the research team has 3D printed ‘Ear Guard’ prototype.
The ergonomical design of the guard holds the face mask strap in a place without giving pressure to the ear. Therefore, masks can be worn effortlessly for hours without pain or discomfort to the wearer.
Using 3D printers, these ‘Ear Guards’ are being made in a free size to fit all. These are being printed at the Biomaterial & Tissue Engineering Laboratory of IIT Guwahati using polymer resins.
The ear guards are affordable, long-lasting and designed to give comfortable wearing experience. Presently, the team is printing thousands of these ear guards to be distributed to hospitals across the Northeast Region and if needed, across India.
3D Printed Ear Guard has been designed and printed by Dr. Biman B. Mandal along with his PhD scholars, Mr. Ashutosh Bandyopadhyay and Mr. Bibhas K. Bhunia.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati established in 1994 has completed 25 years of glorious existence in 2019. At present, the Institute has eleven departments and five inter-disciplinary academic centres covering all the major engineering, science and humanities disciplines, offering BTech, BDes, MA, MDes, MTech, MSc and PhD programmes.