A French group specializing in textile membranes explains that its latest creation is able to overcome 99.5% of the presence of the virus on its surface. The secret lies in the integration of silver particles in the membrane.
A virus-killing fabric, the French group Serge Ferrari says it has done it! According to a France Info report published on May 18, 2020, there is talk of a new textile membrane with virucidal properties . Officials point to the presence of silver particles, which have long been known for their antibacterial properties.
Based in La Tour-du-Pin (Isère), this company has decided to reorient its teams dedicated to research. Indeed, these are now focusing on the development of useful solutions in the context of the Covid-19 epidemic. After two months of work at the VirHealth laboratory in Lyon, the researchers proved the effectiveness of their membrane before patenting the latter.
According to Sébastien Baril, marketing director of the company, these new webs can destroy 95% of viruses in 15 minutes of contact. In one hour, the fabric would overcome the presence of the virus up to 99.5%! In addition, you should know that the tests were carried out on the 229E coronavirus (HCoV-229E). This is a coronavirus discovered in the 1960s. However, it is important to emphasize that the SARS (2003) and MERS (2012) coronaviruses are derived from this same coronavirus 229E. In other words, there is a very good chance that the fabric can also eliminate Covid-19.
Let it be said, the new textile membrane from the Serge Ferrari group is of interest to people! Officials did not give names but did mention some communities and businesses. The main idea is to equip it in places open to the public such as schools, nurseries, offices and other museums. The membrane would then cover chairs, armchairs, tables, desks, but also door handles and grab bars in metros and other buses. In any case, the possibilities are diverse and the company says it is ready to carry out the first installations . According to Lyon Entreprises, approximately 3,000 square meters of fabric have already been delivered.
For now, the Serge Ferrari group produces no less than 20,000 square meters of canvas every week. However, there could be a question of an increase in this production capacity in the event of strong demand. Finally, the managers stressed that, despite the effectiveness of their membrane, it could not replace barrier gestures.
