How to Make Personal Protective Equipment Spontaneously and Continuously Antimicrobial (Incorporating Oxidase-like Catalysts)
Xinyang Jin, Feng Gao, Mingxin Qin, Yunpeng Yu, Yüe Zhao, Tianyi Shao, Chen Cai, Wenhua Zhang, Bin Xie, Yujie Xiong, Lihua Yang, Yuen Wu
Abstract
The inability of commercial personal protective equipment (PPE) to inactivate microbes in the droplets/aerosols they intercept makes used PPE a potential source of cross-contamination. To make PPE spontaneously and continuously antimicrobial, we incorporate PPE with oxidase-like catalysts, which efficiently convert O2 into reactive oxygen species (ROS) without requiring any externally applied stimulus. Using a single-atom catalyst (SAC) nanoparticle containing atomically dispersed copper atoms as the reactive centers (Cu-SAC) and a silver–palladium bimetallic alloy nanoparticle (AgPd0.38) as models for oxidase-like catalysts, we show that the incorporation of oxidase-like catalysts enables PPE to inactivate bacteria in the droplets/aerosols they intercept without requiring any externally applied stimulus. Notably, this approach works both for PPE that are fibrous and woven such as a commercial KN95 facial respirator and for those made of solid plastics such as an apron. This work suggests a feasible and global approach for preventing PPE from spreading infectious diseases.