ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an immediate response from scientists towards creating new technologies to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. Antimicrobial surfaces that repel or inactivate microorganisms stood out as a strategy to prevent viral transmission, leading to increased global demand for antiviral materials. Despite the advances in antimicrobial coatings, antiviral materials were little investigated until recently, demanding a systematic assessment of the state-of-the-art technologies in this field. This chapter assesses the advances in antiviral textiles, focusing on the interplay between the pathogen features and antiviral technologies. The main pathogenic viruses and their contamination mechanisms are briefly described, followed by a survey of the main antiviral agents, including nanoparticles, small organic molecules, and synthetic and natural polymers. Advances on finishing application are discussed in detail, highlighting the up-to-date antiviral fabric technologies. Finally, challenges to viral-inactivation agents on textiles are described, reinforcing the need for safe, scalable materials to protect people from biological threats. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.