Reusable Cu2-xS-modified masks with infrared lamp-driven antibacterial and antiviral activity for real-time personal protection

NIR-II AIE Luminogen-Based Erythrocyte-Like Nanoparticles with Granuloma-Targeting and Self-Oxygenation Characteristics for Combined Phototherapy of Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, a fatal infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb), is difficult to treat with antibiotics due to drug resistance and short drug half-life. Phototherapy represents a promising alternative to antibiotics in combating M.tb. Exploring an intelligent material allowing effective tuberculosis treatment is definitely appealing, yet a significantly challenging task. Herein, an all-in-one biomimetic therapeutic nanoparticle featured by aggregation-induced second near-infrared emission, granuloma-targeting, and self-oxygenation is constructed, which can serve for prominent fluorescence imaging-navigated combined phototherapy toward tuberculosis. After camouflaging the biomimetic erythrocyte membrane, the nanoparticles show significantly prolonged blood circulation and increased selective accumulation in tuberculosis granuloma. Upon laser irradiation, the loading photosensitizer of aggregation-induced emission photosensitizer elevates the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), causing M.tb damage and death. The delivery of oxygen to relieve the hypoxic granuloma microenvironment supports ROS generation during photodynamic therapy. Meanwhile, the photothermal agent, Prussian blue nanoparticles, plays the role of good photothermal killing effect on M.tb. Moreover, the growth and proliferation of granuloma and M.tb colonies are effectively inhibited in the nanoparticle-treated tuberculous granuloma model mice, suggesting the combined therapeutic effects of enhancing photodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy.

Cu2-xS homojunction coatings empower titanium implants with near-infrared-triggered antibacterial and antifouling properties

For decades, implant-associated infections (IAIs) caused by pathogenic bacteria have been associated with high failure and mortality rates in implantation surgeries, posing a serious threat to global public health. Therefore, developing a functionalized biomaterial coating with anti-fouling and anti-bacterial functions is crucial for alleviating implant infections. Herein, a near-infrared-responsive anti-bacterial and anti-adhesive coating (Ti-PEG-Cu2-xS) constructed on the surface of titanium (Ti) implants is reported. This coating is composed of nano-Cu2-xS with anti-bacterial activity and super-hydrophilic polyethylene glycol (PEG). Under near-infrared irradiation, the nano-catalyst Cu2-xS on the surface of Ti-PEG-Cu2-xS induces bacterial death by catalyzing the production of singlet oxygen (1O2). The Ti-PEG-Cu2-xS coating can effectively prevent bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. This coating combines the antibacterial mechanisms of "active attack" and "passive defense", which can kill bacteria and inhibit biofilm formation. The results of in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that Ti-PEG-Cu2-xS exhibits excellent anti-bacterial properties under near-infrared irradiation and can effectively prevent implant-related infections caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) ATCC 8739 and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The antibacterial efficiency of Ti-PEG-Cu2-xS coatings against E. coli was 99.96% ± 0.058% and that of S. aureus was 99.66% ± 0.26%, respectively. In addition, the Ti-PEG-Cu2-xS coating has good blood compatibility and excellent bactericidal ability. Therefore, this multifunctional coating combines a non-adhesive surface strategy and a near-infrared phototherapy sterilization method, effectively blocking the initial attachment and proliferation of bacteria on implants via photothermal/photodynamic effects and providing a promising method for preventing bacterium-induced IAIs.

Nanomaterials for Photothermal Antimicrobial Surfaces

Microbial infection diseases are a major threat to human health and have become one of the main causes of mortality. The search for novel antimicrobial strategies is an important challenge for the scientific community, considering also the constant increase of antimicrobial resistance and the rise of new diseases. Among the new strategies to combat microbial infections, the photothermal effect seems to be one of the most promising. Hyperthermia is an effective and broad spectrum strategy for the removal of microbial infections. Among all of the strategies to reduce the diffusion of microbial infections, the preparation of antimicrobial surfaces seems of primary importance. In many cases, in fact, an infection can be diffused through surfaces just by touching them, or by inoculating microbes through an internalizable device, such as an implant, a prosthesis, or a catheter. In this review, we will summarize the recent advances in the preparation of photothermal antibacterial surfaces.

Reusable and self-sterilization mask for real-time personal protection based on sunlight-driven photocatalytic reaction

Personal protective masks play critical role in preventing the disease epidemic and resisting pathogenic bacterial infestation. However, large quantities of masks were disposed during COVID-19 epidemic, which caused environmental problem and huge economic burden. Herein, we developed reusable masks with inherent antimicrobial and self-cleaning features under solar irradiation. With spun-bonded nonwoven fabrics (SNF) layer as substrate, copper sulfide@polydopamine nanoparticles are deposited on SNF layer (CuS@PDANPs-SNF), which presents excellent photocatalytic activity. Under solar irradiation, CuS@PDANPs produce abundant of singly linear oxygen (1O2), which inactivates pathogenic bacteria with high efficiency over 99%. Interestingly, CuS@PDANPs-SNF cannot cause high temperature to bring any uncomfortable to the person, which is suitable for human to wear in daily life. Such design effectively protect person from the transmission of viral aerosol. Meanwhile, CuS@PDANPs-SNF masks are reusable and still maintain robust bactericidal ability after washing. The sunlight-mediated self-sterilization at low temperature endows CuS@PDANPs-SNF masks as powerful personal protective equipment for daily protection, which also provides an instructive way for reducing the environmental impact.

Biocompatible N-carbazoleacetic acid decorated CuxO nanoparticles as self-cascading platforms for synergistic single near-infrared triggered phototherapy treating microbial infections

In this work, positively charged N-carbazoleacetic acid decorated CuxO nanoparticles (CuxO-CAA NPs) as novel biocompatible nanozymes have been successfully prepared through a one-step hydrothermal method. CuxO-CAA can serve as a self-cascading platform through effective GSH-OXD-like and POD-like activities, and the former can induce continuous generation of H2O2 through the catalytic oxidation of overexpressed GSH in the bacterial infection microenvironment, which in turn acts as a substrate for the latter to yield ˙OH via Fenton-like reaction, without introducing exogenous H2O2. Upon NIR irradiation, CuxO-CAA NPs possess a high photothermal conversion effect, which can further improve the enzymatic activity for increasing the production rate of H2O2 and ˙OH. Besides, the photodynamic performance of CuxO-CAA NPs can produce 1O2. The generated ROS and hyperthermia have synergetic effects on bacterial mortality. More importantly, CuxO-CAA NPs are more stable and biosafe than Cu2O, and can generate electrostatic adsorption with negatively charged bacterial cell membranes and accelerate bacterial death. Antibacterial results demonstrate that CuxO-CAA NPs are lethal against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli (AREC) through destroying the bacterial membrane and disrupting the bacterial biofilm formation. MRSA-infected animal wound models show that CuxO-CAA NPs can efficiently promote wound healing without causing toxicity to the organism.

Size-dependent magnetomechanically enhanced photothermal antibacterial effect of Fe3O4@Au/PDA nanodurian

The global health crisis of bacterial resistance to antibiotics requires innovative antibacterial strategies. One promising solution is the exploitation of multifunctional nanoplatforms based on non-resistant antibacterial mechanisms. This work reports a novel Fe3O4@Au/polydopamine (PDA) nanodurian with excellent photothermal-magnetomechanic synergistic antibacterial effects. The one-step formed Au/PDA hybrid shell provides good photothermal properties and spiky surfaces for enhanced magnetomechanic effects. Upon near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, the Fe3O4@Au/PDA nanodurian (200 μg mL-1) achieved nearly 100% antibacterial effect against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The efficiency of photothermal antimicrobial activity was further enhanced by the application of a rotating magnetic field (RMF), with the sterilization efficiency being increased by up to more than a half compared to the action alone. Interestingly, the size of the nanodurian has a significant impact on the synergistic sterilization effect, with larger particles showing a superior performance due to stronger chain-like structures in the magnetic field. Finally, the Fe3O4@Au/PDA nanodurian also demonstrates effective biofilm removal, with larger particles exhibiting the best eradication effect under the photothermal-magnetomechanic treatment. Overall, this magnetic field enhanced photothermal antibacterial strategy provides a promising broad-spectrum antimicrobial solution to combat bacterial infections. Thus, it possesses great potential in future nanomedicine and pollution treatment.

The Rise of Electroactive Materials in Face Masks for Preventing Virus Infections

Air-transmitted pathogens may cause severe epidemics, posing considerable threats to public health and safety. Wearing a face mask is one of the most effective ways to prevent respiratory virus infection transmission. Especially since the new coronavirus pandemic, electroactive materials have received much attention in antiviral face masks due to their highly efficient antiviral capabilities, flexible structural design, excellent sustainability, and outstanding safety. This review first introduces the mechanism for preventing viral infection or the inactivation of viruses by electroactive materials. Then, the applications of electrostatic-, conductive-, triboelectric-, and microbattery-based materials in face masks are described in detail. Finally, the problems of various electroactive antiviral materials are summarized, and the prospects for their future development directions are discussed. In conclusion, electroactive materials have attracted great attention for antiviral face masks, and this review will provide a reference for materials scientists and engineers in antiviral materials and interfaces.

Preparation and Application of High-Efficiency, Antibacterial, and Antiviral PET-PTHP Fibers

Transmission through the respiratory tract is one of the most important ways for bacteria and viruses to infect the human body; the use of high-performance antibacterial and antiviral protective equipment is the most effective way to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases. However, at present, most personal protective equipment lacks the ability to kill pathogens. In this paper, a kind of polytetrahydropyrimidine-polyethylene terephthalate functional fiber (PET-PTHP fibers) with highly sustained antibacterial and antiviral properties was prepared. The inactivation rate of the fibers against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was as high as 99.99%, and the antibacterial time was more than 72 h. The fibers have an obvious destructive effect on lentiviruses and can reduce the infection rate of lentiviruses in BxPC-3 cells from 25.4 to 9.7%. The cytotoxicity test, cell live/dead staining test, and cell proliferation test all confirmed that PET-PTHP fibers have no obvious cytotoxicity and good cytocompatibility. By applying the functional fibers to the inner layer of the masks, a new type of mask with adsorption, filtration, and killing properties against pathogens was prepared. The filtration efficiency of the new masks was 99.3%, and the pressure drop was 104 Pa. The new masks have excellent air permeability and filtration effect, meet the practical application conditions, and are of grade A; therefore, these masks provide medical protection as well as kill pathogens at the same time, further reducing the risk of human infection.

Functional Textile Materials for Blocking COVID-19 Transmission

The outbreak of COVID-19 provided a warning sign for society worldwide: that is, we urgently need to explore effective strategies for combating unpredictable viral pandemics. Protective textiles such as surgery masks have played an important role in the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic, while revealing serious challenges in terms of supply, cross-infection risk, and environmental pollution. In this context, textiles with an antivirus functionality have attracted increasing attention, and many innovative proposals with exciting commercial possibilities have been reported over the past three years. In this review, we illustrate the progress of textile filtration for pandemics and summarize the recent development of antiviral textiles for personal protective purposes by cataloging them into three classes: metal-based, carbon-based, and polymer-based materials. We focused on the preparation routes of emerging antiviral textiles, providing a forward-looking perspective on their opportunities and challenges, to evaluate their efficacy, scale up their manufacturing processes, and expand their high-volume applications. Based on this review, we conclude that ideal antiviral textiles are characterized by a high filtration efficiency, reliable antiviral effect, long storage life, and recyclability. The expected manufacturing processes should be economically feasible, scalable, and quickly responsive.

Stimuli-Activable Metal-Bearing Nanomaterials and Precise On-Demand Antibacterial Strategies

Bacterial infections remain the leading cause of death worldwide today. The emergence of antibiotic resistance has urged the development of alternative antibacterial technologies to complement or replace traditional antibiotic treatments. In this regard, metal nanomaterials have attracted great attention for their controllable antibacterial functions that are less prone to resistance. This review discusses a particular family of stimuli-activable metal-bearing nanomaterials (denoted as SAMNs) and the associated on-demand antibacterial strategies. The various SAMN-enabled antibacterial strategies stem from basic light and magnet activation, with the addition of bacterial microenvironment responsiveness and/or bacteria-targeting selectivity and therefore offer higher spatiotemporal controllability. The discussion focuses on nanomaterial design principles, antibacterial mechanisms, and antibacterial performance, as well as emerging applications that desire on-demand and selective activation (i.e., medical antibacterial treatments, surface anti-biofilm, water disinfection, and wearable antibacterial materials). The review concludes with the authors' perspectives on the challenges and future directions for developing industrial translatable next-generation antibacterial strategies.

Vacancy defect-promoted nanomaterials for efficient phototherapy and phototherapy-based multimodal Synergistic Therapy

Phototherapy and multimodal synergistic phototherapy (including synergistic photothermal and photodynamic therapy as well as combined phototherapy and other therapies) are promising to achieve accurate diagnosis and efficient treatment for tumor, providing a novel opportunity to overcome cancer. Notably, various nanomaterials have made significant contributions to phototherapy through both improving therapeutic efficiency and reducing side effects. The most key factor affecting the performance of phototherapeutic nanomaterials is their microstructure which in principle determines their physicochemical properties and the resulting phototherapeutic efficiency. Vacancy defects ubiquitously existing in phototherapeutic nanomaterials have a great influence on their microstructure, and constructing and regulating vacancy defect in phototherapeutic nanomaterials is an essential and effective strategy for modulating their microstructure and improving their phototherapeutic efficacy. Thus, this inspires growing research interest in vacancy engineering strategies and vacancy-engineered nanomaterials for phototherapy. In this review, we summarize the understanding, construction, and application of vacancy defects in phototherapeutic nanomaterials. Starting from the perspective of defect chemistry and engineering, we also review the types, structural features, and properties of vacancy defects in phototherapeutic nanomaterials. Finally, we focus on the representative vacancy defective nanomaterials recently developed through vacancy engineering for phototherapy, and discuss the significant influence and role of vacancy defects on phototherapy and multimodal synergistic phototherapy. Therefore, we sincerely hope that this review can provide a profound understanding and inspiration for the design of advanced phototherapeutic nanomaterials, and significantly promote the development of the efficient therapies against tumor.