Dr. Seyyedarash Haddadi has developed an antibacterial and antiviral coating for cloth face masks. (Submit photos)

The coating will be applied to millions of masks sold worldwide

A researcher in Kelowna has developed a breakthrough mask treatment method that is 99% effective in reducing the spread of viruses and bacteria.

Seyyedarash Haddadi is a post-doctoral researcher at UBC Okanagan School of Engineering. Before the pandemic, Haddadi was studying anti-corrosion coatings on metal surfaces. When the pandemic hit, he turned to apply his graphene research to virus prevention.

The coating is made of graphene oxide and silver. Only 1 gram of coating can be applied to 300 masks, making it a cost-effective solution. No solvents or toxic chemicals have been added to this compound. The coating has been approved by Health Canada and will soon be applied to millions of cloth masks sold worldwide.

Haddadi has partnered with Ontario-based Zentek Company, which specializes in the commercialization of nanomaterials and develops coatings sold under the ZenGuard name. Earlier this year, the first commercial sale of the coating was conducted at TreborRX, a mask manufacturer in Ontario.

Zentek has also invested US$6 million to develop its own manufacturing capacity to produce enough coatings for as many as 800 million antibacterial masks per month by the beginning of next year.

Read more: New Kelowna medical manufacturer produces 20 million masks per month

Read more: Kelowna mask manufacturer produces MRI-compatible anti-fog masks

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