A team led by Profs. Nagma Parveen, M.L.N Rao Ashish K Patra from the Department of Chemistry have been granted funding from DST/SERB for developing a preventive and cost-effective surface coating. This coating will be applied in making medicated masks and medical wear (personal protective equipment, PPE) as a preventive measure for COVID-19, in particular, for doctors and nurses who are susceptible to contamination while treating infected patients.
The idea is based on a combination of anti-microbial polymer coating and functionalized virucidal drugs/agents to attain a synergistic anti-viral effect.
The team aims to develop a basic prototype within three months and further, collaborate with potential industrial and/or start-up partners for its potential large-scale applications.