Operating wavelength, normal structure, and application in disinfection and sanitation field of AlGaN based DUV LED. Credit: OEA
A brand-new publication from Opto-Electronic Advances talks about rapid inactivation of human breathing RNA infections by DUV LEDs.
The article explores the need for better disinfection methods for human respiratory RNA infections, highlighting the restrictions of mercury lamps. AlGaN-based DUV LEDs, which are ecologically friendly, compact, and energy-efficient, present an appealing alternative. The research shows that these LEDs, especially the 256 nm-LED, can attain 100% disinfection and sterilization of SARS-CoV-2 and IAV in a brief time. The outcomes point towards DUV LEDs offering a more portable, eco-friendly, and efficient infection disinfection technique.
The Need for Improved Disinfection Methods
Human breathing RNA infections, such as SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and influenza A virus (IAV), spread rapidly in the human population through respiratory tract transmission. These viruses have caused significant morbidity, mortality, economic losses, and pandemic illness worldwide. It is vital to develop more effective and broad-spectrum disinfection approaches for surface areas and the environment to decrease the risk of human respiratory RNA infection transmission.
The outcomes point towards DUV LEDs offering a more portable, ecologically friendly, and efficient infection disinfection technique.
Human respiratory RNA viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and influenza A virus (IAV), spread rapidly in the human population through airway transmission. The authors of this short article carried out research on the stress engineering, device preparation, and the inactivation effectiveness of human respiratory RNA viruses using AlGaN-based DUV LEDs. The research group prepared AlGaN-based DUV LEDs with different peak wavelengths and studied their disinfection and sterilization results on different human breathing RNA infections.
The study results revealed that all the tested LEDs could attain 100% disinfection and sanitation of SARS-CoV-2 and IAV within 60 seconds at an infection concentration of 3.8 × 10 ^ 5 PFU/mL.
Conventional Disinfection Methods and Their Limitations
Deep ultraviolet (DUV) light irradiation is an effective method for infection inactivation, as it harms viral genomes. Conventionally, mercury lamps are utilized for infection disinfection. Nevertheless, these lights suffer from different downsides, consisting of toxicity, fragility, bulkiness, brief life time, and ozone production. The Minamata Convention on Mercury has actually forbidden the manufacture, import, and export of products including mercury since 2020. For this reason, there is an urgent need for a environment-friendly and effective germicidal option.
AlGaN-based DUV LEDs as an Alternative
A DUV LED based on Aluminium Gallium Nitride (AlGaN), whose wavelength is tunable from 365 to 210 nm, presents a promising option to mercury lights. Normally, these AlGaN-based DUV LEDs are heteroepitaxially grown on an Aluminium Nitride (AlN)/ Sapphire design template, as AlN single-crystal substrates are too pricey.
Research Methodology and Results
The authors of this article carried out research on the stress engineering, device preparation, and the inactivation efficiency of human breathing RNA infections utilizing AlGaN-based DUV LEDs. The researchers discovered that by inserting a superlattice structure between the SCS AlN/sapphire substrate and the AlGaN epitaxial layer, the SCS might be effectively minimized. This intervention lowered the dislocation density of the AlGaN epitaxial layer by over an order of magnitude and attained an atomic-level flat surface, enhancing the quality of the epitaxial LED user interface. The research group ready AlGaN-based DUV LEDs with different peak wavelengths and studied their disinfection and sterilization effects on different human respiratory RNA infections.
The research study results showed that all the checked LEDs might attain 100% disinfection and sterilization of SARS-CoV-2 and IAV within 60 seconds at a virus concentration of 3.8 × 10 ^ 5 PFU/mL. In particular, the 256 nm-LED showed remarkable disinfection and sanitation performance, attaining 100% inactivation in simply 10 seconds. Furthermore, this LED also carried out excellently under higher virus concentrations and various infection accessory surface area environments. These findings suggest that DUV LEDs could disinfect infections more portably, environmentally-friendly, broadly, and effectively.
Referral: “Rapid inactivation of human breathing RNA viruses by deep ultraviolet irradiation from light-emitting diodes on a high-temperature-annealed AlN/Sapphire design template” by Ke Jiang, Simeng Liang, Xiaojuan Sun, Jianwei Ben, Liang Qu, Shanli Zhang, Yang Chen, Yucheng Zheng, Ke Lan, Dabing Li and Ke Xu, 15 June 2023, Opto-Electronic Advances.DOI: 10.29026/ oea.2023.230004.
The research group of Li Dabing and Sun Xiaojuan from the State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Precision Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, is mainly taken part in the research study of wide band gap nitride semiconductor materials and their optoelectronic gadgets, involving products and gadget physics, flaw and doping control, structure epitaxy growth, LED and photodetector gadget preparation and application.
The research study group has focused on the field of large bandgap nitride semiconductors for more than 10 years. Presently, the research group has more than 10 full-time workers and more than 20 masters and doctoral trainees. The research study group has actually accomplished several ingenious outcomes in top quality AlN material preparation, nitride flaw development mechanics, high-efficiency ultra-wide bandgap nitride p-type doping, and high-performance optoelectronic devices.
Recently, The research group has released over 100 papers associated to the above operate in journals such as Adv. Mater., Light Sci. Appl., used more than 80 domestic and foreign creation patents, administered over more than 10 tasks such as the National Science Foundations Outstanding Young Scholars, Excellent Young Scholars, and Key R&D Programs of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and won very first prize in life sciences in Jilin Province.
