Daylight-driven sanitizer technology using in situ generated reactive oxygen species

Overview

This technology leverages environmentally friendly, human-safe photoactive chemicals that absorb UVA and daylight to generate biocidal reactive oxygen species (ROS), including hydroxyl radicals, hydrogen peroxide, and singlet oxygen. These short-lived, highly reactive species non-selectively kill bacteria and viruses through direct oxidation or hydrogen abstraction, without producing toxic by-products. The approach enables rapid, light-activated sanitization for applications in personal protective equipment (PPE), food safety, and surface disinfection, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional chemical sanitizers.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• Broad-spectrum antimicrobial action — effective against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as viruses, achieving greater than 99.9% reduction within 30 minutes under indoor daylight conditions
• Daylight-driven activation — utilizes UVA or the full spectrum of natural daylight, eliminating the need for dedicated UV light sources or electrical power
• Non-toxic by-products — ROS degrade into harmless substances, avoiding the chemical residues associated with conventional disinfectants
• Food-safe formulations — several of the photoactive agents are edible and suitable for use in food contact materials
• Tunable performance — some agents are solvent-dependent, enabling controllable antimicrobial activity and long-term storage stability in appropriate solvent systems
• Versatile application — can be formulated as liquid systems for direct application or integrated into fabrics, wood, metal, and other surface materials

Technology readiness level

The technology has been validated at lab scale, with published peer-reviewed results demonstrating effective ROS generation and pathogen inactivation under varied indoor and outdoor light conditions. Current research focuses on optimizing liquid formulations for faster kill rates, characterizing ROS output under diverse daylight conditions, evaluating efficacy across different concentrations, compositions, pH levels, and bacterial loads, testing on material surfaces such as fabrics, wood, and metals, and assessing long-term storage stability. The technology is ready for collaborative optimization and pilot-scale validation toward commercial applications in PPE, food packaging, and surface sanitization.