Vegetable-Oil Lipid Layers for Persistent Surface Disinfection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing disinfecting technologies fail to provide surfaces with long-lasting biocidal properties against pathogens, requiring frequent reapplication to maintain effectiveness, and existing compositions leave surfaces exposed to contamination after evaporation or removal.
Innovation Solution
A disinfectant composition comprising fatty acids and/or their esters and/or epoxidized esters from vegetable oils in a volatile carrier solvent, which forms a thin, persistent lipid layer on surfaces after evaporation, providing continuous biocidal activity against enveloped viruses and bacteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional alcohol-based disinfectant solutions are applied to surfaces, then immediate sanitization is achieved, but the surface becomes exposed to pathogens again after evaporation, requiring frequent reapplication
Solution Approach 1:
The disinfectant composition is applied in advance to surfaces, and the biocidal lipids remain embedded in the material structure, providing protection before the next potential contamination event. This preliminary treatment eliminates the need for frequent reapplication by establishing long-lasting protective properties that persist until the lipids are removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The lipid-based disinfectant composition provides continuous biocidal activity on surfaces because the lipids remain embedded in the material structure after application. Unlike volatile solvents that evaporate completely, the lipid layer maintains persistent protective action against pathogens, eliminating gaps in protection between reapplication cycles.
2Reliability
If emulsifier and surfactant are added to fatty acid compositions, then biocidal activity is enhanced, but the surface becomes oily and requires rinsing, eliminating the biocidal activity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and uses only the biocidal fatty acid components from vegetable oils, eliminating the need for emulsifiers and surfactants that cause oily residues. The fatty acids themselves provide the biocidal activity through their ability to dissolve protective microbial membranes, achieving the same protective effect without the harmful oily byproducts.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the natural fatty acid components of vegetable oils, which can be considered neutral or slightly harmful when present in excess, into beneficial biocidal agents. The fatty acids provide protection through their inherent ability to disrupt microbial membranes, transforming a potentially problematic substance into a valuable disinfectant without requiring additional additives.
3Reliability
If frequent disinfection treatment is performed to maintain protection against pathogens, then infection risk is reduced, but productivity and time availability are decreased
Solution Approach 1:
The disinfectant composition is applied in advance to surfaces and materials, establishing long-lasting biocidal protection that persists until the lipid layer is removed. This preliminary treatment eliminates the need for frequent reapplication by providing continuous protection against pathogens, thereby freeing up time for other activities while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The lipid-based composition provides continuous biocidal action on surfaces and materials, eliminating the need for repeated application cycles. The protective lipid layer remains embedded in the material structure, providing uninterrupted protection against pathogens and significantly reducing the time required for maintenance activities.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition effectively maintains biocidal properties for extended periods, inhibiting viral and bacterial replication on treated surfaces, even after the solvent evaporates, by destabilizing the protective membranes of pathogens.
Implementation Method 1
capable to make permanently disinfecting the surface on which it is applied after evaporation of the solvent
Implementation Method 2
by physical action of dissolution of the protective lipid membrane of the micro-organism
Data Source
AI summary
A use and a method of conferring permanent disinfectant properties on a surface of any material by distribution on it of a disinfectant solution made of a mixture of certain lipids with biocidal properties with suitable volatile solvent; wherein after distribution on the surface, the solvent evaporates progressively, leaving a very thin layer of homogeneously arranged lipids on it. This lipid layer renders the surface active in the killing and deactivation of viruses and bacteria. Furthermore, a method for disinfecting a material can be achieved by applying the disinfectant composition to a treated substrate having biocidal activity obtainable with the method.