Bimetal-Driven Nucleotide Nanosheets for Spontaneously Enhanced Antibacterial and Protective Coatings

Abstract

The propagation of pathogenic bioaerosols leads to severe respiratory ailments in humans, posing a significant risk to public health. At present, most personal protective equipment (PPE) utilized to prevent the transmission and infection of pathogenic bioaerosols lacks antimicrobial functionality. Herein, the antibacterial nanosheets (Co-GMP@AgNSs) were designed and synthesized to coordinate guanosine monophosphate (GMP) with Co ions to form nanosheets by solvent-thermal strategy, followed by in situ growth of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). To obtain antibacterial PPE, the porous Co-GMP@AgNSs with high surface area are integrated into polypropylene (PP) fiber to form the PP@Co-GMP@AgNSs composite. Due to the oxidase-like activity of PP@Co-GMP@AgNSs, oxygen molecules (O₂) were persistently and effectively converted into reactive oxygen species (ROS) without requiring external stimulation. Moreover, the inherent antibacterial ability of AgNPs further enhanced the antibacterial efficacy, resulting in an antibacterial effect of 99%. During the 8 cycles of testing, the antibacterial efficiency of the PP@Co-GMP@AgNSs coating was consistently over 90% against MRSA, demonstrating its remarkable antibacterial durability. MTT assay solidly confirmed the good biocompatibility. Therefore, metal-nucleotide nanozymes with antimicrobial activity could offer a kind of safe and cheap material for developing reusable antibacterial face masks.