ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Virology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1637848
Antiviral Efficacy of Silicon Nitride Against SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV: Implications for PPE Innovation
Provisionally accepted
- 1Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, United States
- 2SINTX Technologies, Inc, Salt Lake City, United States
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Medical interventions, such as masks, were a cornerstone in mitigating the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Since 2019, the scientific community has increasingly focused on exploring avenues for pandemic prevention and preparedness to enhance responses to future viral outbreaks. One such area of interest explores the use of additives, such as silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), in masks as a way to enhance antiviral properties of personal protective equipment. Si₃N₄ powder has been shown to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 under aqueous conditions, with a similar yet modest reduction in virus when embedded into nonwoven fabric. Our study aims to optimize the use of Si₃N₄ as an antiviral agent. We address this knowledge gap by comparing the viral inactivation potential of -Si₃N₄ to -Si₃N₄ powder against multiple SARS-CoV-2 lineages and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Additionally, we have tested a refined nonwoven fabric embedded with -Si₃N₄ against SARS-CoV-2 (Lineage A). Results presented here suggest that α-Si₃N₄ was the most effective at reducing infectious virus through viral RNA degradation, as determined by plaque assay and RT-qPCR. The most promising finding was the significant reduction of SARS-CoV-2 after only 10 minutes of exposure to refined α-Si₃N₄-embedded fabric. Silicon nitride could prove to be an invaluable inorganic additive in personal protective equipment during future viral epidemics and pandemics.
Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, silicon nitride, Si3N4, antiviral
Received: 29 May 2025; Accepted: 01 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Heath, Lehman, Mcminn, Bock and Kehn-Hall. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Kylene Kehn-Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, United States
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.