99.99% of Coronavirus Particles Killed in 30 Seconds with Nichia’s UVC LED, and Mass Production Is around the Corner

According to Nichia, it has successfully developed a high-power LED that can eliminate the novel coronavirus, and the mass production has been prepared. In the future, it will work with various brands to adopt this LED in products such as air purifiers and air conditioners for places that cannot be disinfected with alcohol.

According to Nichia, it has partnered with the research team from Tokushima University for the development of 280nm 70mW UVC LED. The research found that 99.99% of coronavirus particles on surfaces were killed when hit with the UVC waves for 30 seconds at a distance of 5 centimeters.

According to Nichia, when the wavelength is 265nm, the virucidal effect is the best. Yet, due to the short wavelength, the optical output power decreases. Besides, long lifespan cannot be reached, and the lifespan of 260nm UVC LED is 2,000 hours. Thus, the research team adjusted the wavelength to 280nm and increased the optical output power. The optical output power at 280nm was increased to 70mW (35mW at 265nm). According to the results, after the adjustments of optical output power, the virucidal effect of 280nm UVC LED can be 1.3 times more effective than the 265nm, and the lifespan can be significantly increased to 20,000 hours.

▲Nichia found that the virucidal effect can be increased with the improvement of optical output power.

Nichia said that after the experiment, the virucidal effect of this new UVC LED can achieve 99.99%. In terms of other sterilization methods, the virucidal effect of 99% can be reached after 15 seconds of hand washing, and the virucidal effect of 99.99% can be achieved after 30 seconds of cleaning with alcohol (77%-81% concentration). Yet, enough alcohol solution and a certain concentration are needed. In addition, when using alcohol as a disinfectant, sufficient alcohol is required to contact the disinfected object, and time and effort are also needed to achieve the best virucidal effect. However, for the newly-developed UVC LED, 99.99% can be realized by hitting with the UVC waves for 30 seconds at a distance of 5 centimeters. In other words, according to the results of the experiment, high virucidal effect can be easily achieved within a shorter period of time.

After successfully developing the UVC LED, Nichia is ready for mass production. According to Japanese media, so far Nichia has donated 20 portable UV irradiators to the Tokushima Prefectural Government, as well as 30 to Tokushima University. At the same time, it has discussed the development of this LED product with Japanese manufacturers. It is expected that this research will be applied to air purifiers and air conditioners, which will be helpful for places that cannot be disinfected with alcohol.

(This article is reposted by TechNews; Image Source: Nichia)

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