SBIR Phase II: An adjuvant-based antimicrobial coating (COVID-19)

"This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to advance a technology that can provide residual antimicrobial activity against viruses, bacteria, and fungi. The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened concerns about microorganisms of all kinds and the limitations of current disinfecting products. The proposed project advances translation of a spray-on technology that, when dried, leaves a thin transparent film sticking both to the surface and to chlorine, thus enabling the surface to be disinfected for up to a month. The film essentially extends the useful life of chlorine-based disinfectants. The proposed project will continue development of a novel antimicrobial coating that has proven efficacy against viruses, bacteria, and fungi. This project will optimize the product formulation for the film and a complementary solution with reproducible residual sanitation performance. The project will further advance the manufacturing scale-up to ensure large volume cost-effective production capabilities for the product and conduct field trials. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria."