Abstract
Fibrous materials with inherent antimicrobial properties can help in real-time deactivation of microorganisms, enabling multiple uses while reducing secondary infections. Coatings with antiviral polymers enhance the surface functionality for existing and potential future pandemics. Herein, we demonstrated a straightforward route toward biocidal surface creation using polymers with nucleophilic biguanide, guanidine, and hydantoin groups that are covalently attached onto a solid support. Biocidal poly(N-vinylguanidine) (PVG) and poly(allylamine-co-4-aminopyridine-co-5-(4-hydroxybenzylidene)hydantoin) (PAH) were introduced for coating applications along with commercially available polyvinylamine (PVAm) and poly(hexamethylene biguanide) (PHMB). Nonleaching coatings were created by first fabricating bifunctional siloxane or isocyanate precursor coatings on the cotton, nylon-cotton, and glass fiber fabric, followed by the polymer attachment. The developed grafting methods ensured the stability of the coating and the reuse of the material while maintaining the biocidal properties. Halogenation of polymer-coated fabric was conducted by aqueous solutions of sodium hypochlorite or in situ generation of hypobromous acid (HOBr), resulting in surfaces coated by N-halamines with high contents of active > N-Cl or > N-Br groups. The polymer-coated fabrics were stable in multiple laundry cycles and maintained hydrophilic character after coating and halogenation. Halogenated polymer-coated fabrics completely inactivated human respiratory coronavirus based on a contact-killing mechanism and were shown to be reusable after recharging with bromine or chlorine.