The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has raised the need of versatile means for virus decontamination. Millimeter waves are used in biochemical research in dynamic nuclear polarization enhanced nuclear magnetic resonance (DNP/NMR) spectroscopy. However, their efficiency in object decontamination for viruses has not been tested yet. Here we report the high efficiency of 95 GHz waves in killing both coronavirus 229E and poliovirus. An exposure of 2 s to 95 GHz waves reduced the titer of these viruses by 99.98% and 99.375%, respectively, and formed holes in the envelope of 229E virions as detected by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis. The ability of 95 GHz waves to reduce the coronavirus titer to a range of limited infective dose of SARS-CoV-2 for humans and animal models along with precise focusing capabilities for these waves suggest 95 GHz waves as an effective way to decontaminate objects.

严重急性呼吸系统综合症冠状病毒 2 (SARS-CoV-2) 大流行提高了对病毒净化的通用方法的需求。毫米波用于动态核极化增强核磁共振 (DNP/NMR) 光谱的生化研究。然而，它们在物体去污病毒方面的效率尚未经过测试。在这里，我们报告了 95 GHz 波在杀死冠状病毒 229E 和脊髓灰质炎病毒方面的高效率。将 2 秒暴露于 95 GHz 波中，这些病毒的滴度分别降低了 99.98% 和 99.375%，并且通过扫描电子显微镜 (SEM) 分析检测到，在 229E 病毒粒子的包膜中形成了孔洞。