Superhemophobic and Antivirofouling Coating for Mechanically Durable and Wash-Stable Medical Textiles

Abstract

Medical textiles have a need for repellency to body fluids such as blood, urine, or sweat that may contain infectious vectors that contaminate surfaces and spread to other individuals. Similarly, viral repellency has yet to be demonstrated and longterm mechanical durability is a major challenge. In this work, we demonstrate a simple, durable, and scalable coating on nonwoven polypropylene textile that is both superhemophobic and antivirofouling. The treatment consists of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) nanoparticles in a solvent thermally sintered to polypropylene (PP) microfibers, which creates a robust, lowsurface-energy, multilayer, and multilength scale rough surface. The treated textiles demonstrate a static contact angle of 158.3 ± 2.6°a nd hysteresis of 4.7 ± 1.7°for fetal bovine serum and reduce serum protein adhesion by 89.7 ± 7.3% (0.99 log). The coated textiles reduce the attachment of adenovirus type 4 and 7a virions by 99.2 ± 0.2% and 97.6 ± 0.1% (2.10 and 1.62 log), respectively, compared to noncoated controls. The treated textiles provide these repellencies by maintaining a Cassie−Baxter state of wetting where the surface area in contact with liquids is reduced by an estimated 350 times (2.54 log) compared to control textiles. Moreover, the treated textiles exhibit unprecedented mechanical durability, maintaining their liquid, protein, and viral repellency after extensive and harsh abrasion and washing. The multilayer, multilength scale roughness provides for mechanical durability through self-similarity, and the samples have high-pressure stability with a breakthrough pressure of about 255 kPa. These properties highlight the potential of durable, repellent coatings for medical gowning, scrubs, or other hygiene textile applications.

Network Diagnostics for Rapid Testing, Mapping and Bioinformatics Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Human Respiratory Viruses in Pandemic Settings

“…Smart textiles design and treatments with anti-viral agents can create an invisible coating that inhibits viral sustainability. Coatings that can repel liquids and potentially prevent viruses from adhering to the surface have also been demonstrated [20]. For example, silver-based technologies can destroy enveloped viruses including coronaviruses by 99.99% [131] and a "disinfectant velvet" has been developed that is capable of photocatalysis when exposed to UV light [11].…”

“…Whilst most solutions for surface contamination are aimed at keeping droplets off the surface [20], risking aerosol regeneration, an alternative is to treat the surface to attract water droplets. This facilitates further spreading over the surface or within a porous surface coating to help dry and either denature on the surface or entrap a virus within.…”

The viability of SARS-CoV-2 on solid surfaces

“…Examples of poorly-wetting fabrics were in existence before the COVID-19 pandemic and include the work of Chauhan et al who designed a superhydrophobic cotton textile that displayed antibacterial properties [ 68 ]. Galante et al [ 69 ] designed a hydrophobic coating on nonwoven polypropylene textile that displayed reduced infection by two nonenveloped virions. This technology could be applied to the exterior of masks or other PPE to reduce the imbibition of droplets containing viral suspension.…”

Smart textiles and wearable technologies – opportunities offered in the fight against pandemics in relation to current COVID-19 state

“…To provide antimicrobial and antiviral properties of the medical textiles, they have to be impermeable to body fluids like blood, urine, saliva, and sweat which are the main carriers of infectious vectors. Galante et al [144], very recently, demonstrated a simple, durable and scalable coating on nonwoven PP textile that was both superhemophobic and anti-virofouling. The treatment consisted of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) nanoparticles in a solvent thermally sintered to PP microfibers which created a robust, low surface energy, and multi-layer, multi-length scale rough surface.…”