Sorption of Flu Viruses from Aqueous Media by Composites of Electrically Conducting Polymers: Polyaniline and Polypyrrole

Abstract

Composites of polymers with conjugated chain structures, polyaniline and polypyrrole, are used as sorbents for human and bird flu viruses. Sorption properties of the composites are compared to characteristics of the initial polymers. It is shown that polymer composites containing metallic silver nanoparticles possess sorption activity, similarly to their composites with polyethylene and the initial polyaniline and polypyrrole. The introduction of silver into polypyrrole resulted in an enhancement of the sorption activity as compared to that of the initial polymer. Nontoxic metal—polymer composites reduce considerably the concentrations of human flu viruses A(H1N1), A(H3N2), and B and bird flu virus A(H5N2) with different structures of surface virion proteins in aqueous media at a sorbent concentration of 10–20 mg/mL in the temperature range from +4 to 37°C.