https://journal.stemm.global/index.php/instemm <p><em><strong>inSTEMM Journal </strong></em>is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed, open access journal showcasing cutting edge research across all major scientific, technological, and engineering disciplines. The journal is both free to publish and free to read (gold open access compliant).</p> <p><em>inSTEMM Journal </em>is the flagship journal of the <a href="https://stemm.global/">STEMM Global Scientific Society</a> – the only truly international scientific society across all STEMM disciplines. Central to the <em>inSTEMM</em> mission is the promotion of interdisciplinary exchange of ideas, knowledge, and discovery to maximise the benefits and impact of scientific endeavour.</p> <p><em>inSTEMM journal</em> publishes articles of any length that make a scientifically valid and valuable contribution to any field within the broad remit of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine.</p> <p><strong>Current Special Issues open for submission:</strong><br /><a href="https://journal.stemm.global/index.php/instemm/issue/view/expinmat">Experiments in Mathematics</a></p> <p><a href="https://journal.stemm.global/index.php/instemm/issue/view/smartnano">Smart Nanomaterials</a></p> STEMM Global Scientific Society en-US inSTEMM Journal 2753-6939 https://journal.stemm.global/index.php/instemm/article/view/13 <p>The Covid-19 pandemic brought the need to use social masks to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. However, no reliable and fast method were yet established to detect viral particles and to improve the protective ability of social masks.</p> <p>Through color changes, colorimetric biosensors can be used as a rapid and easily approach to detect virus. Gold nanoparticles (AuNP) are known to have excellent optical properties and huge research potential.</p> <p>The new SARS-CoV-2 has the ability of entering human body cells, namely through a second pathway of entry – the sialic acid (SA) receptor.</p> <p>In order to respond to the emergency and to contribute to the diminishing of the spread of SAR-CoV-2, we developed a colorimetric biosensor based on the functionalization AuNP by sialic acid (SA) (SA-AuNP), as a new and effective textile coating layer, to provide a direct indication of the protective capacity of social masks.</p> <p>To do that, AuNPs (10 nm) were functionalized with SA (SA-AuNP), in three different concentrations (50-50, 30-70 and 20-80, respectively) to select the optimal concentration for respiratory virus detection. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope with a Transmission Detector (STEM) analyses confirmed SA-AuNPs binding. FTIR results showed a well-established bond, through matches of peaks of SA-AuNPs. Bindings between the compounds were more evident in 50-50 concentration of SA-AuNP. In the 30-70 SA-AuNP the STEM images show some superposition of the nanoparticles and not so evident binding, as in the 20-80 concentration. Still, between these last two concentrations, the 30-70 is the one that shows the best results since it is visible some circular points larger than the others. To achieve the goal, the concentrations 30-70 and 50-50 of SA-AuNP were impregnated (Textile Foulard) in two substrates of different compositions, a cellulosic and a synthetic one. However, in this technique there are many parameters, such as drying time and temperature, which were varied to understand which the best procedure was to obtain the biosensor.</p> Monica Vieira Ana Margarida Nascimento Cristina Abreu Bárbara Leite Mariana Silva Simon Rouly Ricardo Ferraz Elsa Parente Miguel Costa Cristina Prudêncio Copyright (c) 2022 inSTEMM Journal https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 2022-12-01 2022-12-01 1 S2 10.56725/instemm.v1iS2.13