UV Germicidal Optical Filter Coating

Germicidal UVC has become more widely employed in specialized applications, such as water purification, as a result of advances in optical research. UVC must permeate the medium well for this germicidal action to work.

For human protection, the use of unfiltered UVC lights within the enclosure was essential early on. UVC filters are now required in newer applications where people are present to protect the inhabitants, such as room UVC disinfection and UVC disinfection during surgery. Alfa chemistry is a leader in optical solutions for UVC disinfection. Your optical filter coating will be customized to offer the desired wavelength blockage for your lamp and application.

Why Is Light Filtering Required for Germicidal UVC?

Nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) and proteins are found in all cells and viruses. The nucleic acids and proteins found in live cells and viruses absorb UV radiation with a wavelength of 200-300 nm. The wavelength where the greatest light is absorbed causes the most damage. At roughly 260 nm, DNA absorbs the most light, while proteins absorb the most light at approximately 220 nm. When the virus's DNA or RNA is changed, it loses its ability to replicate and dies. The virus's structural integrity is also affected by protein damage. This is how UV light is used to kill germs. Human cells, on the other hand, are harmed by some UV wavelengths.

Human cells are unaffected by wavelengths below 230 nm, however viruses and bacteria are severely harmed. As a result, as long as someone is in the lit area, it is required to filter the light source to prevent damage to the skin and eyes.

• Human eukaryotic cells are 100-1000 times smaller than viruses. When UV light passes through bigger human cells, it scatters and only a small portion of it reaches the nucleus.
• At 230 nm, proteins absorb more light than nucleic acids. Human cells, unlike viruses, have protein recycling and repair systems that can erase the majority of the damage.
• Most UV light is absorbed by hundreds or thousands of proteins in human cells before it reaches the DNA. Around viral nucleic acids, on the other hand, there is just a very thin coating of proteins that provides minimal protection.

Suitable UV Germicidal Optical Filter Coating Solution

Deuterium, xenon flash, and KrBr* excimer lamps, which emit light in the 200-300 nm wavelength range, are often employed to kill bacteria and viruses. These lamps, on the other hand, release a substantial amount of wavelengths that can harm human cells.

Alfa Chemistry specializes in optical design and can create unique filter coatings to suppress light in the 230-300 nm wavelength range. Our optical coating solutions don't use a "one-size-fits-all" approach, but rather a set of characteristics that are suited to your specific requirements. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• We match the transmission wavelength to the output of your UV light spectrum.
• The incidence angle requirements for your coating can be customized.
• You can tailor the coating's shielding needs to block only the filter at the wavelength you desire.
• The coating's size can be customized.