Issue 23, 2023

Oxide anchored multi-charged metal complexes with binary nanoparticles for stable and efficient anti-bacterial coatings on cotton fabrics

Abstract

Personal protective equipment (PPE), especially face masks, has received much attention as a quick reaction to pandemic outbreaks to prevent infections caused by airborne microorganisms. Single-use masks are generally made of synthetic polymers such as polypropylene. Discarding the used masks causes serious environmental pollution. Incineration is an energy-intensive process for treating used masks. Therefore, in order to meet the urgent requirement to minimize the use of synthetic polymers in single-use masks, we developed a combination coating comprising of multi-charged metal complexes anchored on TiO2 and binary nanoparticles containing silver and copper on cotton substrates as anti-bacterial inserts in face masks. The coatings have shown excellent activity against both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. >99.9% activity against bacteria under standard test conditions and after exposure to extreme conditions of humidity (>90% RH, 45 °C, 6 h), temperature (>110 °C, 6 h), and multiple cycles of washing confirms high anti-bacterial action combined with excellent environmental stability. The combination coatings exhibited excellent activity against bacterial strains that were partially resistant to already proven anti-bacterial agents like silver-copper nanoparticles. With differential partial pressure as low as 1.1 Pa cm−2 confirming excellent breathability, good shelf life (exceeding 5 months under ambient conditions), comfort, and cooling effects, these coatings are promising candidates for anti-microbial inserts in cloth-based and otherwise all-polymeric PPE.

Graphical abstract: Oxide anchored multi-charged metal complexes with binary nanoparticles for stable and efficient anti-bacterial coatings on cotton fabrics

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
26 Aug 2023
Accepted
30 Oct 2023
First published
31 Oct 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Mater. Adv., 2023,4, 6213-6222

Oxide anchored multi-charged metal complexes with binary nanoparticles for stable and efficient anti-bacterial coatings on cotton fabrics

A. Nirmala, S. Pottath, A. V. Prasannakumari, V. R. Gnanaraj, J. Jacob, B. S. D. Kumar, S. Pillai, R. K. Sukumaran, U. S. Hareesh, A. Ajayaghosh and S. Shankar, Mater. Adv., 2023, 4, 6213 DOI: 10.1039/D3MA00605K

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