Omicron SARS-CoV-2 antiviral on poly(lactic acid) with nanostructured copper coating: Wear effects

Daniel J da Silva; Adriana Duran; Fernando L A Fonseca; Duclerc F Parra; Rodrigo F Bueno; Derval S Rosa

doi:10.1016/j.apsusc.2023.157015

Omicron SARS-CoV-2 antiviral on poly(lactic acid) with nanostructured copper coating: Wear effects

Appl Surf Sci. 2023 Jun 30:623:157015. doi: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2023.157015. Epub 2023 Mar 15.

Authors

Daniel J da Silva¹, Adriana Duran¹, Fernando L A Fonseca², Duclerc F Parra³, Rodrigo F Bueno⁴, Derval S Rosa¹

Affiliations

¹ Center for Engineering, Modeling, and Applied Social Sciences (CECS), Federal University of ABC (UFABC), Av. dos Estados, 5001, Bangú, Santo André, SP, Brazil.
² Faculty of Medicine of ABC (FMABC), Department of Clinical Analysis, Av. Lauro Gomes, 2000, Santo André, SP, Brazil.
³ Nuclear and Energy Research Institute, IPEN-CNEN/SP, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2242, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
⁴ Coordinator of the COVID-19 Monitoring Network in Wastewater National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency, Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and Ministry of Health, Brazil. Center for Engineering, Modeling, and Applied Social Sciences (CECS), Federal University of ABC (UFABC), Av. dos Estados, 5001, Bangú, Santo André, SP, Brazil.

Abstract

Surface modification corresponds to a set of viable technological approaches to introduce antimicrobial properties in materials that do not have such characteristics. Antimicrobial materials are important to prevent the proliferation of microorganisms and minimize the transmission of diseases caused by pathogens. Herein, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) was decorated with nanocones through copper sputtering followed by a plasma etching. Antiviral assays by Quantitative Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) show that nanostructured Cu-coated PLA has high antiviral activity against Omicron SARS-CoV-2, showing a relative reduction in the amplified RNA (78.8 ± 3.9 %). Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and wear-resistance tests show that 20 wear cycles disrupt the surface nanocone patterns and significantly reduce the Cu content at the surface of the nanostructured Cu-coated PLA, leading to total loss of the antiviral properties of nanostructured PLA against Omicron SARS-CoV-2.

Keywords: Copper; Nanotechnology; PLA; Plasma; SARS-CoV-2; Wear.