Long-term and rapid antibacterial efficacy of Cu2O-GO nanocomposites for medical protective textiles

Achieving rapid and long-term antibacterial effects in medical protective textiles is a significant challenge. In this work, Cu 2 O-GO nanocomposites are prepared by in-situ growth of small-sized cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) nanoparticles on the surface of graphene oxide (GO). At a concentration of 20 µg/mL, Cu 2 O-GO achieves 99 % antibacterial rate against E. coli and B. subtilis within 10 min, with complete eradication in 30 min. After 6 months of air exposure, the Cu 2 O-GO exhibits an antibacterial efficacy of 84.7 % against B. subtilis and 96.7 % against E. coli , significantly higher than that of Cu 2 O alone. PA6/Cu 2 O-GO fibers produced via melt spinning show over 99.99 % antibacterial efficiency at just 0.6 % addition and retain effectiveness even after 50 washes. The antibacterial mechanism of Cu 2 O-GO involves the release of copper ions and generation of reactive oxygen species, which disrupt bacterial cell membranes, leading to protein and DNA damage, ultimately causing cell death. This research offers valuable insights for the development of long-term antibacterial materials.