Progress 09/01/20 to 04/30/21

Outputs
Target Audience:Throughout the Phase I project Claros, a more appropriate target audience become clear to Claros. The original intended audience of the project was food processing facilities that were seeking to employ antiviral and antibacterial measures. However, from a technology standpoint, the "Crescoating" process is better positioned with entities that produce coatings and other manufactured materials like plastic sheets and fibrous materials. These entities are critical as they directly apply value added treatments, including antimicrobial agents, to raw goods. These products in turn are purchased and utilized by the food industry or are acquired through vendors. Entities that apply value added treatments like the technology developed during the Phase I effort are referred to as "dyers and finishers." These groups take unprocessed rolls of raw textiles and polymer sheets and apply treatments to customer specifications. Examples of these treatments include colored dyes and finishes such as brighteners, water repellent coatings, and antimicrobial finishes. Examples of these groups include current partner Santee Printworks as well as other entities including 1888 Mills and Narcote. Claros is in negotiation with the latter two groups. These entities create products with value added treatments that are then distributed on rolls to raw goods manufacturers who create garments, sheeting, covers, etc. From the perspective of Santee Printworks, dyeing and finishing groups are always seeking new technologies that they can offer their customers: cut and sew groups who make the final consumer good. For example, a group like Santee can offer to make an existing customer's fabrics with a durable antimicrobial. These performance enhancements are an immediate value-add for groups that manufacture goods for hospitals, food processing facilities, and the military. Partnering with entities like Santee will allow Claros as the technology provider to enter into multiple markets simultaneously without the additional marketing and distribution effort of acquiring a customer base. Claros will also undertake the effort of reaching out directly to end users in the food industry through distributors like partner Halo Branded Solutions. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Over the course of the project, training opportunities were present for a graduate student and post-doctoral scholar at the University of Minnesota as well as a two scientists at Claros Technologies. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Claros has submitted a patent and publication on this technology. Claros has also hired a business development manager who will promoting the technology with relevant trade and industry groups. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1) Improve our understanding of the fundamentals of the catalytic and antiviral properties of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and the structure-functionality relationship of these nanoparticles. Claros has identified zinc as an effective active ingredient for nanocomposite synthesis. Zinc is an ideal antiviral agent as many zinc compounds, including zinc oxide, are Generally Recognized as Safe by the US Food and Drug Administration and are classified as a "minimum risk" pesticide by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Using zinc, Claros has created nanocomposites composed of zinc hydroxide and zinc oxide species that effectively inactivate 99.9% of coronaviruses in 10 minutes. Antiviral testing work was independently conducted at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory and was done on transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV), an ASTM recommended coronavirus surrogate for SARS-CoV-2. To date, Claros has successfully created nanocomposites of zinc using polyester, cotton, polypropylene, nylon, and polyurethane films with high antiviral and antimicrobial performance Objective 2) Functionalize different surfaces and plastics with antiviral nanoparticles using the Claros' coating technology. Claros has created nanocomposites of polyester, cotton, polypropylene, nylon, and polyurethane films. The goal is to apply these films onto high touch surfaces in facilities such as door handles, equipment controls, and conveyor belting to minimize viral transmission by contact surfaces. Objective 3) Establish the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on coated surfaces and plastics and estimate their decay rates. Antiviral efficacy on polyester/cotton and polypropylene materials have been tested for periods of contact time ranging from 10 minutes to 1 hour. The results show that the zinc nanocomposites on fibrous polypropylene and on nylon-cotton blends effectively inactivate 99.9% of coronavirus in 10 minutes. All testing was conducted at the University of Minnesota using transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), an ASTM suggested surrogate for SARS-CoV-2. In addition, the nanocomposite materials were found to be effective against bacterial species, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Objective 4) Evaluate the durability of the antiviral properties against cleaning or washing, and evaluate the safety and environmental impact of the new technology. Nanocomposites were sent for third party skin sensitization testing through Evalulabs LLC. Briefly, patches of control and treated material were placed on the skin of 50 healthy participants. 10 patches were applied over the course of 3 weeks. During the course of the study, patients were evaluated by a dermatologist for any signs of allergic reaction or contact dermatitis. The treated nanocomposite materials were found to be non-irritant and hypoallergenic. For leaching studies, cotton nanocomposites were subjected to washing in a conventional washer and a tumble dryer. The nanocomposites were subjected to 100 cycles of machine washing and tumble drying. Periodically, samples were taken and sent to a third party laboratory for EPA 1312: Synthetic Precipitation Leaching Procedure. The results conclude that over 98% of the particles are retained in the fabric throughout the life of the product and will not leach into the environment or be removed from washing and normal use.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Durable Nanocomposite Face Masks with High Particulate Filtration and Rapid Inactivation of Coronaviruses

Progress 09/01/20 to 04/30/21

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience for this innovation is the decision makers at food processing facilities that implement health and safety and sanitation procedures. At the time of this report, two meetings were held with stakeholders. 1) Schwan's Company, a leader in frozen and ready-to-eat food. Clarosmet with company representatives including lead individuals on the R & D teams and a plant manager. 2) Halo, a uniform company, provider of worker uniforms for brands such as Dunkin' and Popeye's. The Claros team met with members of the executive team to explore areas in apparel and PPE that could be met by Claros' technology. Claros has the goal of meeting with a least 5 partners in the food industry and is actively working to connect with facility managers at in the meat processing industry. Claros is also working to promote the antiviral performance of the coating technology with scientific reports and newspublications. Changes/Problems:Two primary challanges exist with this project: 1) Hydrophobic surface testing The University of Minnesota successfully tested polyester/cotton blends and fibrous polyproplyene sheets used in surgical masks treated with Claros' nanocomposite process. These materials are naturally porous and fairly hydrophilic which allows the viral sample to contact the surface of the nanocompsite for a set amount of time prior to recovery. Hydrophobic nanocomposite surfaces like hard plastics and polyurethane films retain the viral inoculumin droplets. Consequently, the viral dropletsnot able to properly contact the material. An alternative method must be developed to test for antiviral efficacy on these hydrophobic materials. These hydrophobic films are very important as they will be the primary means to create antiviral surfaces in food facilities. 2) Testing on SARS-CoV-2 The University of Minnesota is experiencing a significant backlog in antiviral testing against SARS-CoV-2. Antiviral performance to date has been measured on analpha coronavirus as a surrogate to SARS-CoV-2. GettingSARS-CoV-2 testing remains a challenge due to demand. Claros does not intend to change the project as a result of these problems. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has allowed for the training of a post doctoral researcher at the University of Minnesota in the field of virology. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Antiviral reports and dermatology reports have been published in the Claros Technologies website. Claros is working to promote the technology through local and national media outlets. A scientific publication on these initial antiviral findings has been prepared and submitted to Advanced Functional Materials academic journal. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 3) Establish the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on coated surfaces and plastics and estimate their decay rates. Work is being to establish a method of effectively determining antiviral performance on hydrophobic surfaces. Once this method is established the more hydrophobic nanocomposites (nylon and polyurethane films)will be subjected to the a range on contact time testing from 10 minutes to 2 hours. Objective 4) Evaluate the durability of the antiviral properties against cleaning or washing, and evaluate the safety and environmental impact of the new technology. Work is being to establish a method of effectively determining antiviral performance on hydrophobic surfaces. Once this method is established, the nylon and polyurethane films will be subjected to abrasive washing and antiviral performance will be measured again. The antiviral efficacy of themore porous nanocomposites (polypropylene and cotton/polyester) will be measured after a series of washes with detergents. Further work will be done measure potential leaching of the active agent with detergent washing using EPA protocols provided by third party laboratories.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Objective 1) Improve our understanding of the fundamentals of the catalytic and antiviral properties of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles and the structure-functionality relationship of these nanoparticles. Claros has identified zinc as an effective active ingredient for nanocomposite synthesis. Using this active agent, Claros has created nanocomposites comprised of zinc hydroxide and oxide species that effectively inactivate 99.9% of coronavirus in 10 minutes. This work was conducted at the University of Minnesota laboratory and was done on an alpha coronavirussurrogate for SARS-CoV-2 on polyester cotton and polyproylene.This performance is among the fastest for permanent materials treatments. To date, Claros has created nanocomposites of polyester, cotton, polypropylene, nylon, and polyurethane films. Objective 2) Functionalize different surfaces and plastics with antiviral nanoparticles using the Claros' coating technology. As meontioned above, Claros has created nanocomposites of polyester, cotton, polypropylene, nylon, and polyurethane films. The goal is to apply these films onto high touch surfaces in facilities such as door handles, equipment controls, and conveyor belting to minimize viral transmission by contact surfaces. As described in the "Changes and Problems" section, the hydrophobic nature of some of these films, specifically nylon and polyurethane, make them difficult to test with standard antiviral protocols. Finding an appropriate method for this testing is a primary goal for the second half of the Phase 1 project. Objective 3) Establish the stability of SARS-CoV-2 on coated surfaces and plastics and estimate their decay rates. Antiviral efficacy on polyester/cotton and polypropylene materials have been tested for periods of contact time ranging from 10 minutes to 2 hours with 10 minutes being a optimal time needed to achieve 99.9% viral inactivation. Objective 4) Evaluate the durability of the antiviral propertiesagainst cleaning or washing, and evaluate the safety and environmental impact of the new technology. Nanocomposites were sent for third party skin sensitization testing are were found to be non-irritant and hypoallergenic. Leaching studies have been done to determine loss of the active compound with abrasion. No major losses were observed.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Submitted Year Published: 2021 Citation: Gonzalez et al. "Nanocomposite Face Masks and Textile to Inactivate Coronaviruses." Submitted Dec. 30 2020.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: UMN News