Rapid inactivation kinetics of a broad range of viruses on a continuously self-cleaning polymer surface

Infections arising from a broadening variety of viruses are becoming increasingly widespread due to greater zoonotic transmission, with the COVID-19 pandemic exemplifying a global event that claimed the lives of millions worldwide. While targeted vaccines are being developed to thwart the spread of viral infections, they often become available to the public in response to an (expected) outbreak and must be repeatedly adjusted to account for mutations. An alternative to this strategy instead focuses on infection prevention by inactivating viruses prior to human exposure. In this study, we examine the inactivation kinetics of a broad range of infectious viruses on a self-cleaning polymer that functions by a surface pH-drop mechanism upon hydration. Photo-induced surface microscopy confirms that the sulfonic acid groups responsible for proton transport initially reside on the polymer surface, where protons lower the pH of the aqueous layer in contact with the polymer to below unity. This additive-free mechanism results in pH-driven inactivation of three coronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2), human adenovirus, Tulane virus (a human norovirus surrogate), and four high-consequence viruses (Sudan virus, Marburg virus, Lassa virus, and Nipah virus), often reaching the limit of detection in 10 min or less.