![]() ![]() The novel virus is highly contagious, putting the entire human population at risk of infection ( Mohapatra et al., 2020). The present SARS-CoV-2 is a genomic relative of SARS-CoV and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) ( Petersen et al., 2020). This has raised global tension and revealed the urgency of alternative approaches to contain the virus spread such as improvements in antiviral masks which can act as mechanical barriers that prevent viral contraction ( Koyama et al., 2020). ![]() ![]() Vaccine-induced complications and uncertainty have forced some populations to refuse vaccination further aggravating the situation ( Khan et al., 2020 Lazarus et al., 2020). The virus is rapidly evolving into novel strains diminishing the hope shed by recent vaccines developed against SARS-CoV-2 in many countries in the world ( Chung et al., 2020). By middle January 2021, the total global infections have passed 90 million cases with 1.9 million deaths ( Johns Hopkins University, 2020). SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, was first reported in Wuhan, China ( Zhu et al., 2020), during late 2019 and rapidly evolved into a global pandemic ( Amanat and Krammer, 2020 Tay et al., 2020). The inactivation efficacy demonstrated against SARS-CoV-2 proves that the CuS incorporated three-layer mask will be a lifesaver during the present intense global pandemic. We also demonstrated the incorporated CuS is evenly distributed all over the fibers assuring the uniformity of potential antiviral activity and proves, CuS particles are not easily shed out of the fabric fibers. The kinetics of droplet entrapment revealed, that the three-layered mask almost completely block virus-containing droplet pass-through for short exposure periods of 1–2 min, and 80% efficacy for longer exposure times of 5–10 min. Noticeably, the antiviral activity of CuS against SARS-CoV-2 was in the form of solid-state CuS, but not as Cu 2+ ionic form derived by dissolved CuSO 4. The antiviral activity of the mask material was derived by incorporated solid-state CuS. After, 1h and 2 h exposure, near-complete elimination of virus were observed by cytopathy, fluorescence, and viral copy number. The antiviral efficacy assessment revealed, CuS incorporated mask is highly effective in inactivating SARS-CoV-2 within 30 min exposure. The outer layer contained a total of 4.4% CuS (w/w) (2.2% CuS coated & 2.2% CuS impregnated) nylon fibers and the middle entrapment area contain a total of 17.6% CuS (w/w) impregnated nylon. The mask consisted of the outer, middle, and inner layers to give comfort, strength, shape, and safety. The present study investigates the potential of SARS-CoV-2 inactivation by a copper sulfide (CuS) incorporated three-layer mask design. ![]()
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