The virus dies within sixty seconds of contact with the treated surface.
Em meio à escassez de máscaras e à necessidade de reutilizá-las, pesquisadores da Unicamp em São Paulo encontraram uma resposta prática para uma das fricções mais cotidianas da pandemia: como prolongar com segurança a vida útil de uma máscara. O SprayCov, desenvolvido a partir de sais de cobre, forma uma barreira invisível capaz de eliminar o coronavírus em menos de sessenta segundos, com proteção que dura até quarenta e oito horas. É uma invenção modesta em escala, mas significativa em propósito — um lembrete de que a ciência, em tempos de crise, muitas vezes encontra seu valor mais profundo nos detalhes da vida ordinária.
- A reutilização de máscaras durante a pandemia criou um risco silencioso que nenhuma lavagem doméstica conseguia eliminar com certeza.
- Pesquisadores da Unicamp desenvolveram o SprayCov, um spray de sais de cobre que mata o coronavírus na superfície da máscara em menos de um minuto.
- A descoberta de que o produto funciona tanto em máscaras descartáveis quanto em tecido de algodão ampliou drasticamente seu potencial de alcance.
- Além do coronavírus, o spray demonstrou eficácia contra cepas de influenza, sugerindo utilidade que vai além da pandemia atual.
- A Unicamp patenteou o produto e já recebe propostas comerciais, indicando que o SprayCov pode em breve sair do laboratório para as prateleiras.
Quando as máscaras eram escassas e sua reutilização uma necessidade, pesquisadores da Universidade Estadual de Campinas decidiram enfrentar um problema sem solução elegante: como tornar uma máscara segura por mais de um dia. A resposta foi o SprayCov, um revestimento líquido à base de sais de cobre que forma uma barreira invisível contra o vírus nas fibras do tecido.
A lógica é simples e eficaz. Aplicado sobre a máscara, o produto elimina o coronavírus em até sessenta segundos de contato, e a proteção se mantém por quarenta e oito horas. A professora Marisa Masumi Beppu, da engenharia química da Unicamp, liderou o projeto. O que começou como uma solução pensada apenas para máscaras descartáveis revelou-se igualmente eficaz em máscaras de algodão reutilizáveis — aquelas que as pessoas já lavavam em casa e voltavam a usar no dia seguinte. Essa versatilidade ampliou o alcance da tecnologia de forma significativa.
Os testes também mostraram eficácia contra cepas de influenza, abrindo possibilidades que vão além da pandemia de COVID-19. Diante desses resultados, a Unicamp registrou a patente do produto junto ao Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial. Empresas já manifestaram interesse em adquirir a fórmula, e a universidade avalia quais parcerias poderiam levar o spray ao mercado com mais eficiência.
O SprayCov não resolve a pandemia, mas alivia uma de suas fricções mais concretas: a necessidade de trocar ou lavar máscaras constantemente. Um spray que estende sua proteção por dois dias, funciona em diferentes tipos de máscara e ainda combate outros vírus é uma conveniência pequena, porém real. A pesquisa está concluída, a patente está registrada, e o mercado está atento.
In the early months of the pandemic, when masks were still scarce and their reuse a practical necessity rather than a choice, researchers at the State University of Campinas in São Paulo set out to solve a problem that had no elegant answer: how to keep a mask safe to wear for longer than a single day. What they developed was SprayCov, a liquid coating based on copper salts that creates an invisible shield against the coronavirus on fabric surfaces.
The science is straightforward in its elegance. Once sprayed onto a mask—whether the disposable kind or the cotton cloths people were washing and rewearing—the copper salt solution goes to work immediately. The virus dies within sixty seconds of contact with the treated surface. That protection holds for up to forty-eight hours before fading, meaning a single application could theoretically extend the useful life of a mask through two full days of wear.
Marisa Masumi Beppu, a professor in the university's chemical engineering faculty, led the research that brought SprayCov from concept to prototype. The team's initial thinking had been narrow: apply this only to disposable masks, the ones designed to be thrown away after a shift or a day of errands. But as the work progressed, they discovered the spray adhered just as effectively to reusable cotton masks, the kind people were already washing at home and putting back on. That flexibility mattered. It meant the technology could serve both the disposable market and the growing number of people who had settled into the rhythm of cloth masks and daily laundering.
Beyond COVID-19, the spray showed promise against other respiratory viruses too. Tests revealed it could neutralize influenza strains, suggesting the copper salt barrier might have broader applications than the pandemic alone demanded. That durability—both in terms of how long it lasted on a mask and what it could protect against—caught the attention of the university's administration.
By late 2020, Unicamp had moved to patent the product through Brazil's National Institute of Industrial Property. The decision to formalize intellectual property rights signaled confidence that SprayCov had moved beyond the laboratory. Companies had already begun inquiring about purchasing the formula, sensing an opportunity in a world where masks had become permanent fixtures in daily life. The university fielded offers, weighing which partnerships might bring the spray to market most effectively.
What made SprayCov notable was not that it solved the pandemic—no single product could—but that it addressed a specific, persistent friction point in how people actually lived through the crisis. Masks worked, but they required constant replacement or constant washing. A spray that extended their protective life by two days, that worked on both kinds of masks people were using, that also happened to kill other viruses: that was a small but real convenience in an inconvenient time. Whether it would reach the people who needed it most remained an open question, but the research was done, the patent was filed, and the market was listening.
Notable Quotes
After the spray is applied, the virus is eliminated in up to one minute from that surface— Marisa Masumi Beppu, professor of chemical engineering at Unicamp
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why copper specifically? What makes it different from other antimicrobial coatings?
Copper has a long history of killing microorganisms—it's been used in medicine for centuries. The salts dissolve and interact with viral proteins in a way that's both fast and durable. Within a minute, the virus is neutralized. That speed matters when you're talking about something people touch and breathe near all day.
So you're saying the spray doesn't just repel the virus, it actually destroys it?
Exactly. It's not a barrier that blocks contact. It's a chemical reaction that kills the virus on contact. That's why the protection lasts forty-eight hours—the copper salts remain active on the fabric surface until they degrade.
Did they test this on actual masks people were wearing, or just in controlled lab conditions?
The source doesn't specify the testing conditions in detail, but they moved from disposable masks to cotton masks based on what they learned, which suggests real-world applicability mattered to them. The fact that companies were already making purchase offers by the time of publication implies some level of confidence in the results.
What about safety? Is copper salt something you want to be spraying on something that goes near your face?
That's a fair question the reporting doesn't address directly. Copper has been used topically in medicine, and the salts dissolve, so toxicity concerns would likely be minimal. But you'd want to see safety data before widespread use.
Why didn't this become a household product? Why don't we see SprayCov in stores?
The patent was filed in late 2020, and commercialization takes time—regulatory approval, manufacturing scale-up, distribution networks. By the time those pieces aligned, vaccines were rolling out and mask urgency was fading. Good solutions don't always find their moment.