Electrospun Nanofiber-Based Viroblock/ZnO/PAN Hybrid Antiviral Nanocomposite for Personal Protective Applications
Abdul Salam,
Tufail Hassan,
Tooba Jabri,
Shagufta Riaz,
Amina Khan,
Kanwal Muhammad Iqbal,
Saif ullah Khan,
Muhammad Wasim,
Muhammad Raza Shah,
Muhammad Qamar Khan,
Ick-Soo Kim
Affiliations
Abdul Salam
Nanotechnology Research Group, Department of Textile and Clothing, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, National Textile University Karachi Campus, Industrial Area Korangi, Karachi 74900, Pakistan
Tufail Hassan
Nanotechnology Research Group, Department of Textile and Clothing, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, National Textile University Karachi Campus, Industrial Area Korangi, Karachi 74900, Pakistan
Tooba Jabri
International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
Shagufta Riaz
Functional Textile Research Group, Department of Textile Engineering, National Textile University, Faisalabad 37610, Pakistan
Amina Khan
Department of Chemistry, National Textile University, Faisalabad 37610, Pakistan
Kanwal Muhammad Iqbal
International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
Saif ullah Khan
Department of Textile Engineering, Balochistan University of Information Technology Engineering and Management Sciences, Quetta 87100, Pakistan
Muhammad Wasim
Key Laboratory of New Materials and Modification of Liaoning Province, School of Textile and Materials Engineering, Dalian Polytechnic University, Dalian 116034, China
Muhammad Raza Shah
International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, H.E.J. Research Institute of Chemistry, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
Muhammad Qamar Khan
Nanotechnology Research Group, Department of Textile and Clothing, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, National Textile University Karachi Campus, Industrial Area Korangi, Karachi 74900, Pakistan
Ick-Soo Kim
Division of Frontier Fiber, Institute of Fiber Engineering, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research (ICCER), Faculty of Textile Sciences, Shinshu University, Tokida 3151, Ueda, Nagano 386 8567, Japan
Designing novel antiviral personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucial for preventing viral infections such as COVID-19 in humans. Here, we fabricate an electrospun nanofiber-based Viroblock (VB)-loaded polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/zinc oxide (ZnO) hybrid nanocomposite for PPE applications. Five different concentrations of Viroblock (0.5%, 1.5%, 2.5%, 3.5%, and 5%) were added to PAN/ZnO solution and loaded for electrospinning. The developed samples reflected antibacterial activity of 92.59% and 88.64% against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, respectively, with 5% VB loading. Moreover, a significant reduction in virus titer (37%) was observed with the 5% VB/PAN/ZnO nanofiber sheet. Hence, VB-loaded PAN/ZnO nanofibers have great potential to kill enveloped viruses such as influenzas and coronaviruses and could be the ideal candidate for the development of nanofiber-based PPE, such as facemasks and surgical gowns, which can play a key role in the protection of frontline health workers and the general public in the COVID-19 pandemic.
