Abstract
Preventing pathogen transmission and treating pathogen-associated diseases remain major public-health challenges. Recent epidemics and pandemics, key amongst them being the pandemic caused by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), have highlighted the devastating effects that viral infections can have on society. Uncovering and utilising materials for the protection from and treatment of virus-induced diseases can considerably alleviate the load imposed on healthcare systems worldwide. Silicon nitride is a biocompatible ceramic material used in orthopedic implants that is effective in the inactivation of single-stranded RNA viruses. However, the effect of the material on the more resilient DNA viruses remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the antiviral behaviour of the material, in powder and bulk form, against DNA viruses, and more specifically the human adenovirus. The results of the study indicated that silicon nitride dramatically reduces adenoviral infectivity in powder ($>$98% reduction in infective virus compared to the untreated control) and bulk form ($>$73% reduction in infective virus compared to the untreated control). In both cases, inactivation was achieved rapidly, in one minute for powders and 10 minutes for bulk surfaces. The findings of this study strengthen the potential of silicon nitride to be used as an antiviral agent, aiding the fight against the spread of both DNA and RNA virus diseases.