Highly stable, antiviral, antibacterial cotton textiles via surface engineering

The unprecedented pandemic has highlighted the need for textiles that rapidly inactivate pathogens to protect public health. However, how to achieve rapid, effective and durable pathogen inactivation with the minimum antimicrobial dose loading has become a major challenge for cotton fabric modification. Here, a surface engineering cotton fabric (Co-CMC@Cu²⁺) was prepared by grafting carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) onto cotton fabric and then loading with Cu²⁺ via coordination. The Co-CMC@Cu²⁺ with minimal copper ion dosage achieved rapid inactivation, excellent comfort, good biosafety, and durability. Specifically, Co-CMC modified with 12.5 mmol/L copper ion solutions achieved impressive bacterial reduction (BR) rates of 94.3 % and 89.3 % against E. coli and S. aureus, respectively, within 10 min of contact. Moreover, the bacteria were completely eradicated after 2 h of continuous contact. Additionally, Co-CMC@Cu²⁺ achieved excellent phage reduction (PR) rates of 98.9 % and 100 % against phi6 and phi-x174 bacteriophages, respectively, within 30 min of exposure, highlighting its potential for viral inactivation. Furthermore, Co-CMC@Cu²⁺ demonstrated exceptional durability for pathogen inactivation, with BR and PR values above 80 %, even after 150 washing cycles. This novel antimicrobial and antiviral cotton fabric will be a promising candidate textile to protect public health during a pandemic.