WHAT ROLE DOES NANOMATERIAL PLAY IN PANDEMIC COVID -19?

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) made its first appearance in Wuhan, China. Following that, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak of the new virus to be a pandemic in March 2020. Coronavirus illness 2019 is the common name for the pandemic (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 is a highly pathogenic virus with a high transmission rate. To date, it has claimed the lives of about 4.71 million people all across the world.

Nanotechnology is widely used in biomedicine, particularly for controlled medication administration, illness diagnosis, and therapy. Many laboratories throughout the world have used this technology in response to the current pandemic. Facemasks with nanomaterial-coated filters, vaccines with nanometer adjuvants, and economical and quick COVID-19 diagnostic tests are among the applications.

Nanomaterials aid in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infected people.

Virus prevention and nanomaterials :

SARS-CoV-2 is primarily transferred through droplets from an infected person's cough or sneeze, according to scientists. These droplets can stick to nearby objects, such as doorknobs, and to healthcare professionals' protective gear. SARS-CoV-2 remains active for seven days on a facemask worn by an infected person, according to a study. When healthy people come into contact with these contaminated areas, they are at a significant risk of contracting COVID-19.

Facemasks with dual purposes, such as protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus and exceptional self-disinfection capabilities, have been developed thanks to nanotechnology. In addition, the use of nanoparticles in the production of self-disinfecting surface disinfectants has proven to be quite advantageous in hospital and healthcare environments. By catalyzing particular processes to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) under specific wavelength light irradiation, gold nanoparticles can destroy viruses and bacteria.

Non-metallic nanomaterials, such as hydrophobic graphene nanomaterial, have also been produced for facemasks with self-disinfection capabilities. Facemasks' filtering properties are also improved by nanoscale TiO2 fiber coating. To reduce the buildup of dangerous microorganisms in Nano fiber holes, inorganic nanoclusters (NCs) have intrinsic bactericidal and antiviral action.

COVID-19 diagnosis and nanomaterials :

A COVID-19 biosensor system based on nanomaterials and one-step reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification has been developed by scientists. This biosensor is capable of detecting COVID-19. A field-effect transistor (FET)-based biosensor device can effectively identify the COVID-19 virus in medical samples. The COVID-19 spike protein may be efficiently identified using biosensors made from graphene nanosheets that have been treated with the COVID-19 spike antibody.