They developed with the Department of Mechanical Engineering (HKU) the world’s first stainless steel that kills the COVID19 virus within hours.
This is the first anti-Covid-19 stainless steel with Cu-rich precipitates permanently present in the SS matrix with a long-term anti-Covid property, which can inactivate SARS-Cov-2 on stainless steel surfaces. This new invention not only help fight against the COVID-19 pandemic but can also replace some of the frequently touched stainless steel products in public areas, such as lift buttons and doorknobs, using existing powder metallurgy technologies for mass production.
The invention was developed by Professor Mingxin Huang and Mr Litao Liu from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, and Dr Alex Wing Hong Chin, Research Assistant Professor and Professor Leo Lit Man Poon of the School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, of HKU.