LEDs Light the Way to COVID-19 Coronavirus Disinfection

By American Institute of Physics August 12, 2021

At specific wavelengths, LEDs can inactivate the virus; A group of researchers has developed a way to reach these wavelengths more efficiently.

LEDs are often used for sterilization – you can use one to clean your electric toothbrush, for example. In the ongoing effort to fight the coronavirus pandemic, LEDs can also help deactivate SARS-CoV-2.

Tariq Jamil, Muhammad Usman, Habibullah Jamal and Sibghatullah Khan, of the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology in Pakistan, discussed AIP Publishing Horizons — Energy Storage and Conversion virtual conference held from August 4-6, 2021, discussed the development of an ultraviolet LED for possible disinfection of the coronavirus. Their presentation, “Designing 222 nm III-nitride-based Far UVC LEDs for the disinfection of SARS-2 (COVID-19)”, was available during the three-day conference.

The team designed far-ultraviolet LEDs (UV-C LEDs) with a focused wavelength of 222 nanometers, chosen for its ability to inactivate the virus and because it is safe on human skin. They based their design on the material aluminum gallium nitride, part of a series of materials called III nitrides that are efficient, inexpensive and environmentally friendly.

The III-nitride UV-C LEDs are suitable for disinfecting medical equipment, personal protective equipment and personal items such as telephones and pens, and can be easily integrated into clinical applications. Although the material is already in use in the fight against the coronavirus, the group’s technique increases efficiency even further.

They presented details of their approach to the design and potential fabrication of III-nitride UV-C LEDs at the virtual conference.