College
College of Engineering and Polymer Science
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-04 07:52:35
Major
Chemical Engineering
Honors Course
4200:497
Number of Credits
2
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2021
Abstract
A newly identified coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, also known as COVID-19, has caused a worldwide respiratory illness pandemic. The virus is known to spread via contact with water droplets from an infected person. These drops can contaminate the surfaces we as humans interact with on a daily basis. It can be beneficial to understand if there is a correlation between how long the virus can survive on these surfaces and how easily wettable they are. The data was collected by placing 10 mL droplets onto various surface samples and collecting images of the surface contact. From the image a radius was determined and converted to a contact angle with the surface. This analysis was done across 24 different surfaces. The determined contact angles were then plotted against researched literature values for COVID-19 survival times on the surfaces. The final results failed to show a significant relationship between contact angle and virus survivability on the whole. However, amongst only the tested metals there appeared to be a relationship in that as contact angle increased across different surfaces, the time the virus could survive decreased.
Research Sponsor
Dr. Newby
First Reader
Jonathan Matthews
Second Reader
Steve Goulding
Honors Faculty Advisor
Dr. Newby
Recommended Citation
Pintola, Anthony, "Relation of Wettability of Surfaces to Virus Survival Times" (2021). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1332.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1332