Water treatment from viruses using heterogeneous sensitizer based on polycationic aluminum phthalocyanine

The authors propose a new heterogeneous photo sensitizer containing aluminum tetrakis [bis(cholinyl)phenylthio)] phthalocyanine grafted onto silica as an active phase. A poliovirus type 1 LSc2ab and RNA-containing phage MS2 model was used to show that the sensitizer had photo decontaminating activity against viruses and may be used to purify water from viral contamination. The mechanism for removal of viruses from water is two-step and involves the adsorption of the virus on the heterogeneous sensitizer particles and the photodynamic inactivation of the adsorbed virus.