NEW SOLAR TECHNOLOGY:

K I L LI NG MI CROB E S ON DE NTAL I NST RUME NTS

By Mayra Quiroz and Becca DeLord

LIT Dental Hygiene Program
T H E SOL AR ST E AM I NV E NT I ON

o New technology that makes steam directly

from sunlight for the purposes of sanitation
and sterilization

o Completely off grid and only uses sun-light and

light-harvesting nanoparticles to create the
steam

o The solar autoclave is portable and not very

large making it suitable for sterilization of
dental tools in rural areas and does not require
a lot of skills to operate
 H OW I T WOR K S

o The metal-liquid interface between the nanoparticle and

the fluid creates a temperature difference that turns the
fluid directly to vapor without requiring it to boil

o Over prolonged exposure to sunlight, the nanoparticle

steam generation combined with the bulk heating of the (a) sterilization vessel, (k) solar concentrator - a plastic Fresnel lens
fluid results in the steam production that can be used for (g) solar collector containing the nanoparticle-based heater solution
sterilization purposes

o With nanoparticle dispersants, temperatures of both the

liquid and the steam increase more rapidly than without
them

o The system maintains temperatures between 115 °C and

132 °C for the time period sufficient to sterilize the
contents of a 14.2-L volume in accordance with FDA
requirements
 R E SE AR CHER S

o Lead scientists of the research: Naomi Halas from Rice

University in Houston

o Development of the nanoparticle: Oara Neumann

student graduate of Rice University

o The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Program

supported the project

o The team hopes to work with waste-treatment pioneer

Sanivation to conduct the first field tests of the solar
steam sterilizer at three sites in Kenya

Oara Nuemann Naomi Halas

 • Completely off-grid
• Light weight
• Portable
• Easy to use

ADVANTAGES • Affordable
• Requires no expensive chemicals
• Quicker sterilization process
• Ideal for use in developing countries
• A future contributor to disease control across the
globe
VIDEO • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ved0K5CtmsU
 Our goal is to inform practicing
dentist and dental hygienist of this
new technology that will allow
OUR GOAL them to work more efficiently and
help people across the world
without access to dental care in the
near future
 REFERENCES

• American Chemical Society. (2012, November 19). Major advance in using sunlight
to produce steam without boiling water. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119104835.htm
• Boyd, J. (2013, July 22). Off-grid sterilization with Rice U.’s ‘solar steam’. Rice
University News and Media. Retrieved from http://news.rice.edu/2013/07/22/off-grid-
sterilization-with-rice-u-s-solar-steam/
• Oara, N., Feronti, C., Neumann, A., Dong, A., Schell, K., Lu, B., . . . Halas, J. N. (2013,
May 31). Compact solar autoclave based on steam generation using broadband
light-harvesting nanoparticles. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Retrieved from http://www.pnas.org/content/110/29/11677.full?sid=dcfb7c92-6c6d-
409d-a77e-48659f96e80d
• Rice University. (2012, November 19). Super-efficient solar-energy technology:
‘Solar steam’ so effective it can make steam from icy cold water. Science Daily.
Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121119140627.htm
• Williams, M. (2011, April 28). Capteur Soleil may sterilize medical instruments in
developing world. Rice University News and Media. Retrieved from
http://news.rice.edu/2011/04/28/capteur-soleil-may-sterilize-medical-instruments-in-
developing-world/
THANK YOU!