Ultrashort Peptides for the Self‐Assembly of an Antiviral Coating

Abstract Antiviral compounds are important for generating sterile surfaces. Here, two extremely short peptides, DOPA‐Phe‐NH₂ and DOPA‐Phe(4F)‐NH₂ that can self‐assemble into spherical nanoparticles with antiviral activity are presented. The peptide assemblies possess excellent antiviral activity against bacteriophage T4 with antiviral minimal inhibitory concentrations of 125 and 62.5 µg mL⁻¹, for DOPA‐Phe‐NH₂ and DOPA‐Phe(4F)‐NH₂, respectively. When the peptide assemblies are applied on a glass substrate by drop‐casting, they deactivate more than 99.9% of bacteriophage T4 and Canine coronavirus. Importantly, the peptide assemblies have low toxicity toward mammalian cells. Overall, the findings can provide a novel strategy for the design and development of antiviral coatings for a decreased risk of viral infections.