Harnessing wetting transitions to program dual-mode antibacterial textiles.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Textile Engineering

Background:

• Traditional anti-biofouling and antimicrobial treatments face challenges balancing short-term repellence with long-term effectiveness.
• Developing materials with sequential defense mechanisms is crucial for advanced hygiene applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To engineer a time-sequenced dual-defense textile platform using Cu/Zn bimetallic imidazolate frameworks.
• To exploit interfacial wetting dynamics for programmed sequential antimicrobial functionality.
• To control the balance between anti-adhesion and bactericidal activity through Cu/Zn ratio tuning.

Main Methods:

• Grown Cu/Zn bimetallic imidazolate frameworks on cotton fabrics via a composition-controlled coordinating strategy.
• Utilized vacuum-assisted pore activation to create superhydrophobic surfaces and stabilize air pockets.
• Investigated pore wetting dynamics upon bacterial exposure to trigger reactive oxygen species generation.
• Assessed bacterial adhesion suppression and bactericidal efficiency against Escherichia coli.

Main Results:

• The pore-activated metal-organic framework surface initially provides superhydrophobicity, suppressing bacterial adhesion.
• Upon pore wetting, reactive oxygen species (O2•− and OH•) are generated, inducing intracellular oxidative stress and killing bacteria.
• Cu-rich frameworks achieved 99.2% bactericidal efficiency after 120 min, suitable for clinical settings.
• Zn-rich compositions extended the anti-adhesive state for daily-wear applications.

Conclusions:

• A dynamic, wetting-regulated materials principle for adaptive antibacterial performance in textiles has been advanced.
• This platform offers immediate bacterial repulsion and sustained oxidative inactivation.
• The tunable nature of the Cu/Zn ratio allows for tailored applications in hygiene textiles.