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Color-variable dual-dyed photodynamic antimicrobial polyethylene terephthalate (PET)/cotton blended fabrics
Chenyu Jiang1, Sarah Dejarnette2,3, Wangbingfei Chen4
1School of Optical and Electronic Information, Suzhou City University, Suzhou, Jiangsu, 215104, China. cjiang@szcu.edu.cn.
Summary
New antimicrobial textiles combine color-variable dyes with photosensitizers for effective pathogen inactivation. These self-disinfecting fabrics offer scalable, low-cost personal protective equipment (PPE) solutions for healthcare settings.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Textile Engineering
- Photochemistry
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for advanced antimicrobial textiles in personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Existing PPE often lacks scalability, color variability, and sustained antimicrobial efficacy.
- Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy offers a promising approach for self-disinfecting materials.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize novel photodynamic antimicrobial polyethylene terephthalate/cotton (TC) blended fabrics.
- To create color-variable textiles with covalently conjugated photosensitizers for enhanced antimicrobial activity.
- To evaluate the efficacy of these fabrics against relevant bacterial and viral pathogens.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of TC blended fabrics with thionine acetate photosensitizer-conjugated cotton fibers and disperse dye-embedded PET fibers.
- Comprehensive physical characterization using SEM, CLSM, TGA, XPS, and mechanical testing.
- Colorimetric analysis (K/S, CIELab) and photooxidation studies (DPBF) to assess reactive oxygen species generation.
- Antimicrobial efficacy testing against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and human coronavirus 229E under visible light irradiation.
Main Results:
- Successful synthesis of dual-dyed TC fabrics with tunable colors and photosensitizing capabilities.
- Demonstrated generation of singlet oxygen upon visible light exposure, confirming photodynamic activity.
- Achieved high log reductions in microbial load: >3.82 log for S. aureus, 4 log for E. coli, and 99.99% for coronavirus 229E.
- Disperse dyes did not impede antimicrobial performance and enhanced photosensitizer photostability.
Conclusions:
- Developed low-cost, scalable, and color-variable TC fabrics with potent photodynamic antimicrobial properties.
- These self-disinfecting textiles show significant potential for use as advanced PPE in healthcare.
- The combination of disperse dyes and photosensitizers offers improved photostability and functional versatility.
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