Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep 16;4(10):7102-7114.
doi: 10.1021/acsapm.2c00744. eCollection 2022 Oct 14.

Polypropylene Modified with Ag-Based Semiconductors as a Potential Material against SARS-CoV-2 and Other Pathogens

Marcelo Assis  1 , Lara K Ribeiro  1   2 , Mariana O Gonçalves  3 , Lucas H Staffa  4   5 , Robert S Paiva  4 , Lais R Lima  4 , Dyovani Coelho  2 , Lauana F Almeida  6   7 , Leonardo N Moraes  6   7 , Ieda L V Rosa  2 , Lucia H Mascaro  2 , Rejane M T Grotto  6   7 , Cristina P Sousa  3 , Juan Andrés  1 , Elson Longo  2 , Sandra A Cruz  4
Affiliations

Polypropylene Modified with Ag-Based Semiconductors as a Potential Material against SARS-CoV-2 and Other Pathogens

Marcelo Assis et al. ACS Appl Polym Mater. .

Abstract

The worldwide outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) and other emerging infections are difficult and sometimes impossible to treat, making them one of the major public health problems of our time. It is noteworthy that Ag-based semiconductors can help orchestrate several strategies to fight this serious societal issue. In this work, we present the synthesis of α-Ag2WO4, β-Ag2MoO4, and Ag2CrO4 and their immobilization in polypropylene in the amounts of 0.5, 1.0, and 3.0 wt %, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of the composites was investigated against the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, and the fungus Candida albicans. The best antimicrobial efficiency was achieved by the composite with α-Ag2WO4, which completely eliminated the microorganisms in up to 4 h of exposure. The composites were also tested for the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 virus, showing antiviral efficiency higher than 98% in just 10 min. Additionally, we evaluated the stability of the antimicrobial activity, resulting in constant inhibition, even after material aging. The antimicrobial activity of the compounds was attributed to the production of reactive oxygen species by the semiconductors, which can induce high local oxidative stress, causing the death of these microorganisms.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diffractograms of the semiconductors/polypropylene: PPAW (A), PPAM (B), and PPAC (C).
Figure 2
Figure 2
FTIR of PPAW (α-Ag2WO4 (a); PP (b); PPAW05 (c); PPAW1 (d); PPAW3 (e)) (A), PPAM (β-Ag2MoO4 (a); PP (b); PPAM05 (c); PPAM1 (d); PPAM3 (e)) (B), and PPAC (Ag2CrO4 (a); PP (b); PPAC05 (c); PPAC1 (d); PPAC3 (e)) (C).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Complex viscosity at 190 °C as a function of frequency for (A) PPAW, (B) PPAM, and (C) PPAC composites.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Tensile strength, tensile modulus (MPa), strain at break (%), and glass-transition temperature (Tg) (°C) for (A) PPAW, (B) PPAM, and (C) PPAC samples.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Time kill tests for (A) S. aureus, (B) E. coli, and (C) C. albicans using the PPAW, PPAM, and PPAC composites.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(A) Determination of viral titer (log10 TCID50) after 10 min of contact of treated plastic film samples in relation to the positive viral control, comparing the mean of the replicates between the values arising from different exposures of the material. (B) Stability of anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity for 5 consecutive days.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Mechanisms of antimicrobial action of semiconductors encapsulated in the polymeric matrix (CB and VB represent the conduction band and valence band, respectively).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Prather K. A.; Wang C. C.; Schooley R. T. Reducing Transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Science 2020, 6498, 1422–1424. 10.1126/science.abc6197. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chin A. W. H.; Chu J. T. S.; Perera M. R. A.; Hui K. P. Y.; Yen H.-L.; Chan M. C. W.; Peiris M.; Poon L. L. M. Stability of SARS-CoV-2 in Different Environmental Conditions. Lancet Microbe 2020, 1, e10 10.1016/s2666-5247(20)30003-3. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Assis M.; Simoes L. G. P.; Tremiliosi G. C.; Coelho D.; Minozzi D. T.; Santos R. I.; Vilela D. C. B.; Santos J. R. d.; Ribeiro L. K.; Rosa I. L. V.; Mascaro L. H.; Andrés J.; Longo E. SiO2-Ag Composite as a Highly Virucidal Material: A Roadmap That Rapidly Eliminates SARS-CoV-2. Nanomaterials 2021, 11, 638. 10.3390/nano11030638. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Zhang D. X. SARS-CoV-2: Air/Aerosols and Surfaces in Laboratory and Clinical Settings. J. Hosp. Infect. 2020, 105, 577–579. 10.1016/j.jhin.2020.05.001. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Andersen K. G.; Rambaut A.; Lipkin W. I.; Holmes E. C.; Garry R. F. The Proximal Origin of SARS-CoV-2. Nat. Med. 2020, 26, 450–452. 10.1038/s41591-020-0820-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed