The current unprecedented coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) is increasingly demanding advanced materials and new technologies to protect us and inactivate SARS-CoV-2. In this research work, we report the manufacture of Ag 3 PO 4 (AP)/polypropylene (PP) composites using a simple method and also reveal their long-term anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. This composite shows superior antibacterial (against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli ) and antifungal activity (against Candida albicans ), thus having potential for a variety of technological applications. The as-manufactured materials were characterized by XRD, Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, AFM, UV–vis spectroscopy, rheology, SEM, and contact angle to confirm their structural integrity. Based on the results of first-principles calculations at the density functional level, a plausible reaction mechanism for the initial events associated with the generation of both hydroxyl radical • OH and superoxide radical anion • O 2 – in the most reactive (110) surface of AP was proposed. AP/PP composites proved to be an attractive avenue to provide human beings with a broad spectrum of biocide activity.

Over the years, the possibility of using solar radiation in photocatalysis or photodegradation processes has attracted remarkable interest from scientists around the world.