Co–Cu Bimetallic ZIF-67@PDA-Based Fabrics: Trimodal Synergistic Antibacterial Performance for Reusable Protective Textiles

Abstract

Protective textiles are essential for public health security, yet conventional textiles only physically filter microorganisms without rapid surface sterilization, easily becoming potential cross-infection sources. Commercial antibacterial variants also suffer from slow sterilization, poor reusability, and insufficient multifunctional integration, thus failing to meet the demand for efficient and long-term protection. Herein, a facile and scalable two-step strategy (vacuum impregnation followed by PDMS spray coating) was developed to fabricate Co–Cu bimetallic ZIF-67@polydopamine (PDA)-based fabrics (CZPP-fabric) with rapid synergistic antibacterial activity and outstanding reusability. The as-synthesized Co–Cu bimetallic ZIF-67@PDA (CZP) nanomaterials exhibited enhanced enzyme-like catalytic activity and prominent photo-responsive performance, with the yield of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) under simulated solar light being 3.24-fold higher than that for pure ZIF-67 and a photothermal conversion efficiency reaching 31.75%. The CZPP-fabric achieved efficient bacterial inactivation within 2 h in the dark, while, under 1 W/cm2 simulated solar light irradiation, it only took 5 min to inactivate ≥99.67% of S. aureus and 100% of E. coli. Its antibacterial effect was attributed to the robust triple synergy of enzyme-like catalysis, enhanced photodynamic therapy and photothermal therapy. The enzyme-like catalytic activity sustains ROS generation even in the dark, the photodynamic effect induces massive ROS production (including ·OH and 1O2), and the photothermal effect exerts mild thermal sterilization, with all these effects jointly damaging bacterial cell membrane structures to achieve efficient sterilization. Furthermore, the CZPP-fabric exhibited excellent comprehensive practical properties with favorable breathability, high hydrophobicity, and remarkable mechanical stability. More importantly, it maintained over 99% antibacterial efficiency after repeated washing and possessed favorable biocompatibility, enabling durable and safe reusable applications. This work provides a scalable strategy for multifunctional protective textiles with promising application prospects in public health protection.