Recent advances in materials science: a reinforced approach toward challenges against COVID-19

Abstract

With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, medical professionals and scientists have encountered an unprecedented trouble to make the latest technological solutions to work. Despite of abundant tools available as well as initiated for diagnosis and treatment, researchers in the healthcare systems were in backfoot to provide concrete answers to the demanding challenge of SARS-CoV-2. It has incited global collaborative efforts in every field from economic, social, and political to dedicated science to confront the growing demand toward solution to this outbreak. Field of materials science has been in the frontline to the current scenario to provide major diagnostic tools, antiviral materials, safety materials, and various therapeutic means such as, antiviral drug design, drug delivery, and vaccination. In the present article, we emphasized the role of materials science to the development of PPE kits such as protecting suits, gloves, and masks as well as disinfection of the surfaces/surroundings. In addition, contribution of materials science towards manufacturing diagnostic devices such as microfluidics, immunosensors as well as biomaterials with a point of care analysis has also been discussed. Further, the efficacy of nanoparticles and scaffolds for antiviral drug delivery and micro-physiological systems as well as materials derived from human tissues for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) devices have been elaborated towards therapeutic applications.

Contact transmission of SARS-CoV-2 on fomite surfaces: surface survival and risk reduction

“…Little work, however, was reported on the influence of the surface morphology on virus inactivation. From this point of view, it should be stressed that many materials used nowadays or proposed to be used in the future in highly efficient masks [61][62][63] exhibit surfaces that might be orders of magnitude larger than the geometrical area. For example, Ahmad et al [64] revealed their thoughts on the healthcare policies, developing materials and technology strategies that have contributed to reducing the damage of the pandemic, coming from the perspectives of material scientists.…”

Nanoparticle approaches against SARS-CoV-2 infection

“…Through surface functionalization, nanoparticles acquire the ability to interact with specific biomarkers associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, such as viral proteins, viral RNA, and virus-specific antibodies [9] , [10] . The unique physicochemical properties of nanoparticles, such as their optical, reactivity, or fluorescent properties, enable them to transduce biomarker-capturing events into measurable signals for detection [11] , [12] .…”

Microchannel-based Droplet Generation Using Multiphase Flow: A Review

“…Haeberle and Zengerle said that fundamental ideas in the microfluidic device come from the dominant interfacial and surface tensional force in the micro-dimension which enables the precise generation and spatial stabilization of the droplets [3]. Furthermore, microfluidic is widely applied to the following fields: drug delivery [4,5], cell sorting [6][7][8], filtering [9], fluid transport [10], material science [11], chemical engineering [12][13][14], cosmetics production [15], food technology [16], digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) procedure [17], liposomes production [18], liquid metal microdroplets for advance electronics [19], and lab on a chip [3,20]. Zhuo et al have been successful in preparing magnetic thermosensitive hydrogels using microfluidic technology for drug delivery using double emulsions structure with the use of two anticancer drugs: water-soluble drug as the shell and oil-soluble drug in the core which can be released simultaneously by controlling the switch of the magnetic field [4].…”