Synthesis of zirconium and titanium MOFs based on porphyrin linkers for the inactivation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus

In these times of pandemic due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, many studies have been carried out to know its propagation mechanism. It is now known that the virus that causes the Covid-19 disease can exist in the air in the form of aerosols, representing a danger of accumulation in closed environments. Given this, various alternatives have emerged for the inactivation of the virus that directly attack the nucleic acid, the spike protein or its lipid membrane, in which chemical substances such as quaternary ammonium salts, chlorine, ozone in combination with ultraviolet light are used. However, the uncontrolled use of these substances could cause intoxication and accumulation in the body of people possibly generating other long-term diseases.
Materials based on metallic nanoparticles with high biocidal power have been developed that fight the SAR-CoV-2 virus, despite this, high levels of adsorption in the form of aerosol are still required, which are not entirely guaranteed in these materials. .
Organometallic networks, which are known as MOFs (metal organic frameworks) are considered highly porous, adsorbent and selective materials for different gas molecules. Many of these materials have even been modified with special linkers in order to create photocatalytic properties in which visible light is used to promote oxidation reduction mechanisms of adsorbed volatile compounds.
That is why it is proposed to use MOFs based on porphyrin linkers that are capable of using visible light to promote the photocatalytic inactivation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.