CuO-Coated Antibacterial and Antiviral Car Air-Conditioning Filters

The demand for improved indoor air quality, especially during the pandemic of Covid-19, has led to renewed interest in antiviral and antibacterial air-conditioning systems. Here, air filters of vehicles made of nonwoven polyester filter media were sonochemically coated with CuO nanoparticles by a roll-to-roll coating method. The product, aimed at providing commuters with high air quality, showed good stability and mechanical properties and potent activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, H1N1 influenza, and two SARS-CoV-2 variants. The filtering properties of a coated filter were tested, and they were similar to those of the uncoated filter. Leaching tests as a function of airflow were conducted, and the main outcome was that the coating was stable and particles were not detached from the coated media. Extension to other air-conditioning systems was straightforward.

Automated summary

The demand for improved indoor air quality, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, has led to a renewed interest in antiviral and antibacterial air-conditioning systems. In this study, air filters made of nonwoven polyester filter media were coated with CuO nanoparticles by a roll-to-roll coating method. The coated filters showed good stability and mechanical properties, as well as potent activity against various bacteria and viruses. The filtering properties of the coated filters were similar to those of the uncoated filters, and the coating remained stable even under airflow conditions.