A Microenvironment-Adaptive Fungal Inhibitor Triggered by Fungi

Benefiting from the advantages of excellent biocompatibility and remarkable antifungal performance, plant essential oils have recently become promising alternatives to conventional fungicides, yet suffer from the challenges of high volatility, short-lived efficacy, and poor target specificity. In this research, a novel type of essential-oil-based fungal inhibitor was developed, which presented a microenvironment-adaptive fungicidal behavior triggered by fungal growth. With stimulus-responsive cleavable linkages on the backbone, such an inhibitor could remain dormant under normal conditions while releasing antifungal essential oil with the presence of physiological water and acidic metabolites produced by fungi. The favorable properties of reduced volatility and controllable release performance endowed the fungal inhibitor with a long-term fungicidal performance for the preservation of cultural relics against mold contamination. This innovative concept of “microenvironment-adaptive fungal inhibitor triggered by fungi” offers a promising platform for developing next-generation fungicidal materials that are capable of controlling mold contamination in settings where stringent environmental and safety standards are necessary.