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Abstract:
Recent studies have shown that enveloped viruses contained in airborne respiratory
droplets lose infectability fastest at intermediate ambient relative humidities Hr. However,
the precise physicochemical mechanisms that generate such least-favorable conditions for
the virus are not fully understood yet. Studying the evaporation dynamics of respiratorylike droplets in air experimentally and analytically, we reveal that at high Hr, the salt
dissolved in respiratory drops inhibits their evaporation indefinitely. Conversely, at low
Hr the drop evaporates leaving a porous solid residue, inside which virions may remain
dormant for long times. We conclude that the optimal relative humidity for minimal
infectability should coincide with droplets containing the maximum concentration of salt
for longest periods of time.
