A Pune-based startup has developed a 3-D face-mask, coated with anti-viral agents that attack the coronavirus when it comes in contact with it.
Developed by Pune-based start-up firm Thincr Technologies India Private Limited, these masks are coated with anti-viral agents known otherwise as virucides.
The virucidal mask project is among the earliest projects to have been selected for commercialisation, by the Technology Development Board (TDB), a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, in the mission to fight the pandemic.
The project received financial support from TDB as part of its search for novel solutions to fight Covid-19 in May 2020.
Following this, an agreement was signed on July 8, 2020, for developing the masks. The 2016-incorporated firm claims that these cost-effective masks are more effective in checking the spread of Covid-19, in comparison with ordinary N-95, 3-ply and cloth masks.
Thincr Technologies India works in the development of Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printers to discover new pharmaceutical formulations and drug-loaded filaments of different drugs.
Founder Director Dr Shitalkumar Zambad explains: “We started thinking of the problem and possible solutions, during the initial days of the pandemic. We sensed that use of face masks will become nearly universal as the most important tool to prevent infection. But we realized that most masks that were then available and within the reach of common people were homemade and of relatively low quality. It is this need for high-quality masks which led us to undertake a project to develop and commercialize cost-effective and more efficient virucidal coated masks, as a better approach to reduce the spread of infection."
With this aim, Thincr Technologies began to focus on developing virucidal coating formulations. It was developed with support from Merck Life Sciences located in Nerul, whose research facility was used for the purpose.
The coating formulation has been utilized to coat the fabric layer and the 3D printing principle was employed to achieve uniformity of coating. The coated layer can be incorporated as an additional layer in N-95 masks, 3-Ply masks, simple cloth masks, 3D printed or other plastic cover masks, along with reusable filters. These masks thus provide an additional protection beyond the protection achieved by filtration mechanisms.
The coating has been tested and shown to inactivate the SARS-COV-2 virus. The material used for coating on the mask is a Sodium Olefin Sulfonate based mixture. It is a soap forming agent with hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties. In contact with enveloped viruses, it disrupts the outer membrane of the virus. The ingredients used are stable at room temperature and are widely used in cosmetics.