Nano-copper ions assembled cellulose-based composite with antibacterial activity for biodegradable personal protective mask

Abstract

The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has resulted in the widespread use of personal protective equipment, particularly face masks. However, the use of commercial disposable face masks puts great pressure on the environment. In this study, nano-copper ions assembled cotton fabric used in face masks to impart antibacterial activity has been discussed. To produce the nanocomposite, the cotton fabric was modified by sodium chloroacetate after its mercerization, and assembled with bactericidal nano-copper ions (about 10.61 mg·g^–1) through electrostatic adsorption. It demonstrated excellent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli because the gaps between fibers in the cotton fabric allow the nano-copper ions to be fully released. Moreover, the antibacterial efficiency was maintained even after 50 washing cycles. Furthermore, the face mask constructed with this novel nanocomposite upper layer exhibited a high particle filtration efficiency (96.08% ± 0.91%) without compromising the air permeability (28.9 min·L^–1). This green, economical, facile, and scalable process of depositing nano-copper ions onto modified cotton fibric has great potential to reduce disease transmission, resource consumption, and environmental impact of waste, while also expanding the range of protective fabrics.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

cellulose-based / nanocomposite / biodegradable antibacterial fabric / nano-copper ions / face masks

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Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts to declare.

Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Foundation of State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking (Grant No. GZKF202131), Qilu University of Technology, Shandong Academy of Sciences, and High-level Foreign Experts Project (Grant No. GDT20186100425).

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