Industrially compatible manufacturing process of wash-durable antimicrobial textiles using cuprous oxide–polymer composites

Abstract

Developing textiles with antibacterial and antiviral properties and excellent wash resistance can be a promising approach to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria, the influenza virus, and SARS-CoV-2, which are the major causes of nosocomial infections. Herein, an innovative method was developed to dope cuprous oxide nanoparticles (Cu₂O NPs) possessing antimicrobial properties into raw fiber materials, thus leading to the formation of Cu₂O NP-embedded masterbatches and then textiles. The textiles fabricated using the Cu₂O NP-embedded masterbatches exhibited excellent antimicrobial activity (>5.21; Japanese Industrial Standard L 1902:2015) against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and Candida albicans, and their antimicrobial activity slightly decreased by less than 5.9% after 50 washes. Thus, the Cu₂O NP-embedded textiles can effectively inhibit the growth of viruses and improve the efficacy of medical treatment. Our approach overcomes the drawback of the current techniques used for the post-processing of Cu₂O NP-related antimicrobial agents for textiles. In addition, Cu₂O NPs can be embedded into various raw materials used in the production of fabrics, such as polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate, employing the developed technique. Furthermore, the developed approach can be readily commercialized.