Abstract
Applications of visible-light photocatalytic engineered nanomaterials in the preparation of smart paints are of recent origin. The authors have revealed a great potential of these new paints for self-sterilizing of the surfaces in hospitals and public places simply with visible light exposure and this is reported for the first time in this review. A recent example of a communicable disease such as COVID-19 is considered. With all precautions and preventions taken as suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO), COVID-19 has remained present for a longer time compared to other diseases. It has affected millions of people worldwide and the significant challenge remains of preventing infections due to SARS-CoV-2. The present review is focused on revealing the cause of this widespread disease and suggests a roadmap to control the spread of disease. It is understood that the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 virus takes place through contact surfaces such as doorknobs, packaging and handrails, which may be responsible for many preventable and nosocomial infections. In addition, due to the potent transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2, its ability to survive for longer periods on common touch surfaces is also an important reason for the spread of COVID-19. The existing antimicrobial cleaning technologies used in hospitals are not suitable, viable or economical to keep public places free from such infections. Hence, in this review, an innovative approach of coating surfaces in public places with visible-light photocatalytic nanocomposite paints has been suggested as a roadmap to self-sterilizing against the spread of communicable diseases. The formulations of different nanoparticle engineered photocatalytic paints with their ability to destroy pathogens using visible light, alongwith the field trials are also summarized and reported in this review. The potential suggestions for controlling the spread of communicable diseases are also listed at the end of the review.
Highlights
In recent years, the spread of communicable diseases has created great concern for societal health globally
The spread of the COVID-19 disease is a present example of communicable disease and it is so hazardous that the World Health Organization (WHO)
The only difference is that tuberculosis is a microbial disease, while COVID-19 is a viral disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virions
Summary
The spread of communicable diseases has created great concern for societal health globally. It is likely that the spread might have been caused due to the existence of SARS-CoV-2 and its delta variant on the surfaces in public places such as lifts, door handles, transports, etc Another objective of our review is to reveal the limitations of the existing antimicrobial cleaning technologies used in hospitals, which are not suitable, viable or economical to keep public places free from infections. In this situation, we have suggested and described in our review an additional approach of coating the surfaces at public places with visiblelight-sensitive photocatalytic nanocomposite paints to disinfect the surfaces even with sunlight [25,26].
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