Chimie thérapeutique

LASU: An efficient and stable phthalocyanine dye with tolerable safety profile for self-disinfecting anti-COVID textiles activated by ambient light

Published on - Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy

Authors: Alexander Efimov, Christophe Dagallier, Céline Frochot, Bauyrzhan Myrzakhmetov, Philippe Arnoux, Tuula Heinonen, Marika Mannerström, Tarja Toimela, Zafar Ahmed, Jean Frédéric Audibert, Benoit Habermeyer, Serge Mordon, Robert Bernard Pansu

Viruses and microbes will continue to pose a global health risk. COVID crisis has shown that massive quarantines are devastating for the society. However, the only protection available to citizens were face masks and hands hygiene. Single-use face masks are barrier-only, uneven quality, and need to be changed after few hours of use. In many places such as schools or hospitals, it is beneficial to use self-cleaning barriers and cloths and to disinfect the circulating air. To wear a mask with a virus lifetime of 30min is as protecting as using a new mask every hour. There is a vital yet unmet demand for self-disinfecting textiles and filters, which would be equally effective against present and – most importantly – future pandemics.