According to foreign media, a research team at a Brazilian start-up has developed a new textile material that can eliminate the new coronavirus on its surface in just two minutes, with an efficiency of up to 99.9%, or can be used to make medical masks and protective clothing.

According to a report by the Buenos Aires Economic News Network in Argentina on June 17, researchers from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences of the University of São Paulo in Brazil, supported by scientists from the University of Jaime I in Spain, have developed a method that uses two different silver particles. New textile material of impregnated polyester fiber and cotton fabric blend.

The project is being developed by a tech startup founded by researchers at the University of São Paulo. Researchers at a research and development center for functional materials in the state of São Paulo are also involved in the project.

The start-up, Nanox, is developing antibacterial fabrics and fungicides, and this newly developed material will be used to make medical masks and protective clothing.

Luis Gustavo Pagoto Simmons, head of Nanox, said: "We have applied for a patent for this technology and are in talks with two Brazilian textile companies. Once negotiated, the two companies will use the The technology makes medical masks and protective clothing."

The results of tests conducted by the researchers showed that the fabric impregnated with silver microparticles inactivated 99.9 percent of the virus after only two minutes of contaminating its surface with organic matter, the report said.

Lucio Freitas Junior, a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo and one of the leaders of the study, said: "The amount of Covid-19 that we used to contaminate the fabric during the test was much higher than the environment in which the medical masks were exposed. The number of viruses in the cells. Even in this case, the new material is able to clear the virus with high efficiency."

The researchers are still testing the duration of the fabric's antiviral effects. Other materials previously developed by the company have antibacterial capabilities that last up to 30 washes.

Simons said: "This fabric is the first development of the use of silver particles to inactivate the new coronavirus, and we will soon develop more kinds of anti-viral fabrics."