Self-winding assembly of bamboo fibers via targeted delignification for superior mechanical and antibacterial...

Due to its rapid growth, renewability, and biodegradability, bamboo has emerged as a promising candidate for sustainable fibers. While traditional separation approaches focus on removing impurities, they tend to yield only densely hydrogen-bonded linear microfibrils, leading to a suboptimal balance between fiber strength and flexibility. Herein, we combined peroxyformic acid oxidation and sodium sulfite delignification to obtain self-winding assembled bamboo fibers (SWBF). This method efficiently removes lignin and hemicellulose while inducing the twisting of bamboo microfibrils, giving rise to combinations of remarkable high tensile strength (2528 MPa), high flexibility (17.5% elongation at break), and improved whiteness of SWBF. To further upgrade the bacteriostatic performance of SWBF, biodegradable poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) and Nα-lauroyl-L-arginine ethyl ester hydrochloride (ELA) are introduced to SWBF surfaces via electrostatic interactions, endowing fibers with 99.9% antibacterial inhibition against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. This work transforms bamboo into superior mechanically robust and antibacterial fibers, offering a pathway for high-performance sustainable fibers in advanced materials and textiles.