Promising Nanostructured Materials against Enveloped Virus

The development of self-disinfectant devices is highly needed to prevent and control infections, mainly caused by virus. In the past years, coronaviruses have been a threat to humanity, causing severe epidemics of respiratory infections such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), in 2003, and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012, and presently the SARS-CoV2 is causing the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous studies have demonstrated that surface contamination play a significant role in the spreading of viruses. These studies demonstrated that the production of highly reactive species by copper alloys contributes to rapid elimination of viruses. Nanostructured materials such as semiconductors TiO₂, Co₃O₄ CuO, NiO, and TiO₂, and silver nanoparticles can decrease the virus viability on the surfaces when associated with polymers and textiles, especially in conditions of light exposure. In addition, graphene oxide is rising as a promising material for inactivation of viruses due to its capacity of destroying the viral envelope and capsid. The virucidal property of these materials can be enhanced by increasing their functionalization with photosensitizers. The present mini-review brings subsidies for the development of new advanced self-disinfectant materials that can be used in the manufacture of gloves, masks, and a variety of other devices.

Key words
Enveloped virus; SARS-CoV-2; nanostructured materials; semiconductors; metallic nanoparticles; self-disinfecting materials