PMMA Microcapsules for the Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2.

Surface disinfection currently plays a decisive role in the epidemiological situation caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. However, most disinfection products available on the market have a high evaporation rate and only an immediate action and not continuous, creating the need for a high frequency of disinfection. To overcome this limitation, in the present work, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) microcapsules were developed with an active agent (hydrogen peroxide) encapsulated, which has the ability to inactivate/neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus. PMMA-HO microcapsules have a spherical shape and a smooth structure with low porosity and were successfully attached to nonwoven fabrics, as observed from scanning electron microscopy. The thermogravimetric analysis shows that PMMA-HO microcapsules have high thermal stability and can increase the stability of HO. Nonfabric substrates functionalized with PMMA-HO microcapsules were tested by a highly sensitive and specific reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR)-based method to evaluate antiviral activity through the degradation of SARS-CoV-2 deoxyribonucleic acids. The highest percentage of viral nucleic acid elimination was obtained when exposing the viral sample for 1 h to PMMA-HO microcapsules, resulting in an elimination of >97% of the coronavirus. In addition, the microcapsules are stable over a period of three weeks and retain the ability to eliminate SARS-CoV-2. Hence, it is demonstrated that this microcapsule system is efficient for SARS-CoV-2 elimination and inherent surface disinfection.