Surfactant-Impregnated MOF-Coated Fabric for Antimicrobial Applications

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Infectious Disease Control

Background:

• The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlighted the urgent need for advanced strategies to mitigate the spread of highly transmissible viral variants.
• Existing methods for disease control face challenges due to rapid viral mutation and increasing resistance.
• Antimicrobial materials offer a promising avenue for developing effective protective measures against a broad spectrum of pathogens.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a novel antimicrobial fabric with the capacity to neutralize diverse microbial agents, including betacoronaviruses.
• To investigate the efficacy of a specific metal-organic framework (MOF), γ-CD-MOF-1, as a host for benzalkonium chlorides (BACs).
• To assess the potential of coating common mask materials with BAC-loaded MOFs for enhanced disease mitigation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of γ-CD-MOF-1 on polypropylene fabric.
• Loading of γ-CD-MOF-1 with benzalkonium chlorides (BACs) and characterization using molecular docking, Raman spectra, and powder X-ray diffraction.
• Evaluation of the antimicrobial and antiviral efficacy of the BAC-loaded MOF-coated fabric against various bacterial and viral pathogens.

Main Results:

• Molecular docking simulations indicated a strong binding affinity between γ-CD-MOF-1 and BACs.
• Characterization confirmed the successful loading of BACs into the MOF structure, evidenced by changes in surface area and spectral data.
• The BAC-loaded γ-CD-MOF-1 coated fabric demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, bacteriophage, and betacoronavirus.

Conclusions:

• The developed γ-CD-MOF-1 fabric effectively hosts benzalkonium chlorides, retaining their potent antimicrobial properties.
• This innovative material shows promise as an effective barrier against a wide range of pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2 variants.
• Coating polypropylene masks with BAC-loaded γ-CD-MOF-1 presents a viable strategy for enhancing personal protective equipment against infectious agents.