Many studies on anti-bacterial/antiviral surfaces have been conducted to prevent epidemic spread worldwide. Several nanoparticles such as those composed of silver and copper are known to have antiviral properties. In this study, we developed copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticle-incorporated
nanofibers to inactivate or remove viruses. The CuO nanoparticle-incorporated nanofiber was fabricated with a hydrophobic polymer—polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)—using electrospinning, and CuO nanoparticles were exposed from the PVP polymer surface by etching the nanofiber with oxygen
plasma. The fabrication conditions of electrospinning and oxygen plasma etching were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM)/ energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). H1N1 virus was utilized as the target sample and quantified
by RT-qPCR. The antiviral efficacy of CuO nanoparticle-incorporated nanofibers was compared against bare CuO nanoparticles. Overall, 70% of the viruses were inactivated after CuO nanoparticle-incorporated nanofibers were incubated with 102 pfu/mL of H1N1 virus solution for 4 h.
This indicates that the developed CuO nanoparticle-incorporated nanofibers have noticeable antiviral efficacy. As the developed CuO nanoparticle-incorporated nanofibers exerted promising antiviral effects against H1N1 virus, it is expected to benefit global health by preventing epidemic spread.
It is highly important to sensitively measure the abundance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on various surfaces. Here, we present a nucleic acid-based detection method consisting of a new sample preparation protocol that isolates only viruses, not the free RNA fragments already present on the surfaces of indoor human-inhabited environments, using a graphene oxide-coated microbead filter. Wet wipes (100 cm2), not cotton swabs, were used to collect viruses from environmental surfaces with large areas, and viruses were concentrated and separated with a graphene oxide-coated microbead filter. Viral RNA from virus was recovered 88.10 ± 8.03% from the surface and free RNA fragment was removed by 99.75 ± 0.19% from the final eluted solution. When we tested the developed method under laboratory conditions, a 10-fold higher viral detection sensitivity (Detection limit: 1 pfu/100 cm2) than the current commercial protocol was observed. Using our new sample preparation protocol, we also confirmed that the virus was effectively removed from surfaces after chemical disinfection; we were unable to measure the disinfection efficiency using the current commercial protocol because it cannot distinguish between viral RNA and free RNA fragments. Finally, we investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and bacteria in 12 individual negative pressure wards in which patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection had been hospitalized. Bacteria (based on 16 S DNA) were found in all samples collected from patient rooms; however, SARS-CoV-2 was mainly detected in rooms shared by two patients.
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