A study on influence of wettability on antiviral coating using polyethylene glycol (PEG) and acrylic binder

One of the biggest problems facing medical science today is preventing viral outbreaks, which highlights the significance of research initiatives aimed at creating antimicrobial coatings for a range of products, including textiles, medical devices, and public spaces. In this study, we aimed to determine the possible antiviral effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating on feline coronavirus (FCoV). The PEG coatings were synthesized by a simple mixing method with a water-based acrylic binder in different weight percentages (3, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt%). The Spearman–Karber technique was used to calculate the viral titers, which were then expressed as the tissue culture infectious dose at 50 % CPE (TCID50/ml). 20 wt% PEG could result in a 3 log10 reduction in virus titer with an inhibition rate of approximately 99.9 % against FCoV. The increment of PEG weight percent from 0 to 25 wt% decreases the hardness and glass transition temperature of the coatings from 38.1 to 5.5 HV and 15.45 to −15.48 °C. Apart from that, the wettability analysis has revealed that PEG coating is hydrophilic with water contact angle (WCA) of around 75 ± 0.5°–85 ± 0.5°. Adding 25 wt% of PEG makes the coating to be superhydrophilic with WCA of 39.85 ± 0.5°.