Antiviral and Sustainable Coating on Textiles by Moringa oleifera Protein for Personal Protective Equipment Applications

Antiviral personal protective equipment (PPE) (e.g., face masks) could extend the service life of single-use PPE and reduce the pollution of single-use plastics. However, the prevalence of nanomaterials and chemical-embedded antiviral agents can impose environmental and health risks when leached. Here, we developed a highly effective and nontoxic antiviral coating on commercial textiles using natural Moringa oleifera seed proteins. A simple dip coating method of polyester textiles using seed water extracts was effective because of the rapid electrostatic attraction between cationic proteins and negatively charged polyesters. The coating time and seed usage were minimized by studying the adsorption of protein onto textiles under varying times, protein-to-textile ratios, and protein concentrations. In only 15 min, the optimized protein coating achieved a ∼5.4 log₁₀ reduction of infectivity of murine hepatitis virus, a SARS-CoV-2 surrogate. Such performance is better than or comparable to previously reported synthetic materials. The coated textile remained effective after repeated viral exposure, dry storage, and UV exposure and can be regenerated. This is the first demonstration of Moringa protein coating on textiles for broad antiviral PPE applications (respirators and gowns) controlling β-coronaviruses. Such a coating can also be applied as a novel disinfection agent for high-touch surfaces.