Virus inactivation in water using laser-induced graphene filters

Najmul Haque Barbhuiya, Swatantra P. Singh, Arik Makovitzki, Pradnya Narkhede, Ziv Oren, Yaakov Adar, Edith Lupu, Lilach Cherry, Arik Monash, Christopher J. Arnusch

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

Interest in the pathogenesis, detection, and prevention of viral infections has increased broadly in many fields of research over the past year. The development of water treatment technology to combat viral infection by inactivation or disinfection might play a key role in infection prevention in places where drinking water sources are biologically contaminated. Laser-induced graphene (LIG) has antimicrobial and antifouling surface effects mainly because of its electrochemical properties and texture, and LIG-based water filters have been used for the inactivation of bacteria. However, the antiviral activity of LIG-based filters has not yet been explored. Here we show that LIG filters also have antiviral effects by applying electrical potential during filtration of the model prototypic poxvirus Vaccinia lister. This antiviral activity of the LIG filters was compared with its antibacterial activity, which showed that higher voltages were required for the inactivation of viruses compared to that of bacteria. The generation of reactive oxygen species, along with surface electrical effects, played a role in the mechanism of virus inactivation. This new property of LIG highlights its potential for use in water and wastewater treatment for the electrochemical disinfection of various pathogenic microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses.

Original languageEnglish
Article number3179
JournalMaterials
Volume14
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 9 Jun 2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Funding

Funding: Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) DST, India: Grant Number: CRG/2019/ 005280; Department of Science and Technology (DST) Seed Division, India: SP/YO/2019/1579. The APC was funded by BGU.

FundersFunder number
Bishop Grosseteste University
Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, IndiaSP/YO/2019/1579
Science and Engineering Research BoardCRG/2019/ 005280

    Keywords

    • Antibacterial
    • Antiviral
    • Conductive filters
    • Disinfection
    • Laser-induced graphene

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