Synthesis of iodates from earth-abundant elements: Antiviral properties and textile applications

To develop inorganic antiviral materials that do not rely on rare-earth elements, iodate compounds composed of relatively earth-abundant elements were synthesized and evaluated. In addition, coating textile fibers using their released ionic species was investigated. Powder samples of Al(IO3)3, Cu(IO3)2, Mn(IO3)2, and Y(IO3)3 (prepared for comparison) were all confirmed to be single-phase and exhibited a certain solubility in water. Antiviral activity was evaluated against two types of viruses with distinct characteristics (non-enveloped and enveloped), following ISO-based protocols. All samples showed high antiviral activity against enveloped viruses, whereas Y(IO3)3 and Cu(IO3)2 also exhibited high activity against non-enveloped viruses. These results are attributed not only to the oxidative capability of IO3− ions but also to synergistic effects of coexisting cations, including charge neutralization at the viral surface, protein denaturation, and structural distortion. Furthermore, all materials were confirmed to exhibit low cytotoxicity. In coating experiments on cotton fibers, aqueous solutions containing the released ions together with a commercially available PVA-based textile sizing agent were used. Antiviral performance comparable to that of the corresponding powders was obtained for all samples except Al(IO3)3. Notably, cotton fibers treated with the coating solution derived from Al(IO3)3 exhibited high antiviral activity even against non-enveloped viruses, likely attributable to the solution pH. These findings indicate that iodate-based materials composed of earth-abundant elements—particularly Cu(IO3)2—are promising candidates for practical antiviral applications, and highlight the importance of ion-mediated mechanisms in coating systems.