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Far-UVC Light:
A New Era in Disinfection
Applications
NS Nanotech's ShortWaveLight 215 Emitter module and other short-wavelength sources of far-UVC light are ushering in a revolutionary new era in human-safe photonic disinfection of air, surfaces, and water. Our new 215-nanometer light source enables close-quarters far-UVC disinfection of office cubicles, school buses, ambulances, taxicabs, airplanes, and countless other occupied public and private spaces.​
NS Nanotech is working with developers who will design and sell far-UVC disinfection solutions. To learn more, visit our application notes on ambulance disinfection, school bus disinfection, and disinfection applications for the built environment.​​​
The ShortWaveLight 215 Emitter integrates a nitride semiconductor that emits far-UVC solid-state light at 215 nanometers for disinfection applications
Far-UVC Light Deactivates Pathogens, Stops Deadly Diseases
Far-UVC light can effectively deactivate the airborne pathogens that cause Covid, influenza, RSV, measles, TB, and many other potential deadly viral infections. And because its short wavelength does not penetrate the skin or eyes, it can be used in occupied public and private spaces. The NS Nanotech ShortWaveLight 215™ Emitter is the first efficient solid-state far-UVC light source. Along with far-UVC krypton-chloride (KrCl) gas lamps, it is enabling the first commercial far-UVC disinfection applications.
New Applications for a
100-Year-Old Technology
Traditional 254 nm UVC light has been used for disinfection for more than 100 years, but it suffers from a major drawback: it can't be used around people because its longer wavelength penetrates and damages live cells in skin and eyes. To avoid human harm, it has to be used when no one else is in a room. Or, it must be enclosed in HVAC systems or installed high in the room and pointed at the ceiling. But because short-wavelength far-UVC light from 200-to-230nm can be used more safely around people, it can directly disinfect the air and surfaces in locations where people gather. It enables an entirely new approach to UVC disinfection, providing constant, proactive photonic disinfection, rather than reactive, after-the-fact treatment of air and surfaces.
Learn how far-UVC light can be deployed to provide photonic disinfection in restaurants, schools, at work, in stores, in homes, and anywhere else people need to be protected from viruses and other pathogens.
How UVC Light
Deactivates VIruses
UVC light neutralizes viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens on surfaces and in air by disrupting their nuclear RNA to prevent them from reproducing. For more than a hundred years, UVC light has been used to sanitize air, surfaces, and water in factories, water treatment plants, office-buildings, schools, public transportation, and many other public and private spaces. Unfortunately, traditional UVC light at 254 nanometers can harm skin and eyes, so it has to be turned off when people are around. But recent academic research has found that shorter-wavelength UVC light known as "far-UVC" light, from 200-to-230nm, is less harmful to skin and eyes and can be used in many more places where people congregate.
The First Line of Defense
Against Viral Infections
Far-UVC light inactivates a vast range of microbes, viruses that cause Covid 19 and the flu, and other infectious pathogens in the air, water, and on surfaces. With a short spectrum wavelength range from 200-to-230 nanometers, if is safer to use around people than traditional UVC light at 254nm and longer wavelengths. And it has been proven effective in deactivating numerous pathogens. A groundbreaking research study in 2022 demonstrated that five far-UVC lamps in an 11-by-14 foot room deactivated more than 98% of airborne pathogens in just five minutes. The microbes sprayed into the room were comparable substitutes for the virus that causes Covid. And the high level of deactivation was maintained over time, even though microbes continued to be sprayed into the room. That study and others demonstrate the effectiveness of invisible ultraviolet light in the far-UVC wavelength range as a first line of defense that can dramatically lessen the viral load in the air in occupied public and private spaces.
One 2022 study demonstrated that far-UVC lights were able to neutralize 98 percent of airborne pathogens in an 11-by-14-foot room in less than five minutes.
The Far-UVC
Safety Breakthrough
Far-UVC light, at wavelengths from 200-to-230nm, deactivates viruses in the air but doesn't penetrate the skin far enough to reach live cells. When it reaches your body, your external"stratum corneum" layer of dead skin cells absorbs the light before it reaches your living cells. And when it reaches your eye, your protective tear layer absorbs the short far-UVC light waves before they can reach your cornea. Therefore far-UVC photonic disinfection can be used in many locations where longer-wavelength 254nm UVC light cannot be used.
Academic Research on Far-UVC
Safety and Efficacy
Research has shown that far-UVC light deactivates pathogens safely and effectively. Several Columbia University reports, including one in Nature, and one of many Kobe University studies, explain these advantages in detail. ​
