Recent Advances in Superhydrophobic and Antibacterial Cellulose-Based Fibers and Fabrics: Bio-inspiration, Strategies, and Applications

Abstract

Cellulose-based fabrics are ubiquitous in our daily lives. They are the preferred choice for bedding materials, active sportswear, and next-to-skin apparels. However, the hydrophilic and polysaccharide characteristics of cellulose materials make them vulnerable to bacterial attack and pathogen infection. The design of antibacterial cellulose fabrics has been a long-term and on-going effort. Fabrication strategies based on the construction of surface micro-/nanostructure, chemical modification, and the application of antibacterial agents have been extensively investigated by many research groups worldwide. This review systematically discusses recent research on super-hydrophobic and antibacterial cellulose fabrics, focusing on morphology construction and surface modification. First, natural surfaces showing liquid-repellent and antibacterial properties are introduced and the mechanisms behind are explained. Then, the strategies for fabricating super-hydrophobic cellulose fabrics are summarized, and the contribution of the liquid-repellent function to reducing the adhesion of live bacteria and removing dead bacteria is elucidated. Representative studies on cellulose fabrics functionalized with super-hydrophobic and antibacterial properties are discussed in detail, and their potential applications are also introduced. Finally, the challenges in achieving super-hydrophobic antibacterial cellulose fabrics are discussed, and the future research direction in this area is proposed. Graphical Abstract The figure summarizes the natural surfaces and the main fabrication strategies of superhydrophobic antibacterial cellulose fabrics and their potential applications. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42765-023-00297-1.

Construction of antibacterial bone implants and their application in bone regeneration

“…This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2024 the hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity of the implant surface is a good way to hinder bacterial adhesion. 101 Because of the hydrophobicity of the surface, the presence of an air layer between materials and liquid can reduce the bacterial adhesion sites and thus reduce bacterial adhesion (Fig. 3(C1) and C2)).…”

Up to Date Review of Nature-Inspired Superhydrophobic Textiles: Fabrication and Applications

“…using graft polymerization, the plasma method, and sol-gel. Cellulose-based materials are the favored choice for bedding, sportswear, and intimate apparel thanks to their manifold benefits [55]. Liu et al [56] reported a facile one-step process to convert the completely hydrophilic cellulose non-woven substrate into highly hydrophobic fabrics (water contact angle of 130 • -135 • ) through the preservation of good air permeability (variation ± 6% after modification compared to the original 1337 mm.s −1 ) (Figure 4c).…”

The Effect of Micro/Nano Roughness on Antifouling and Bactericidal Surfaces

“…Antibiofouling surfaces prevent the proliferation of bacteria, decreasing the availability of initial attachment of bacteria, while bactericidal surfaces directly kill bacteria [46]. The anti-biofouling property refers to a surface that can impede the growth and reproduction of bacteria by affecting the bacterial metabolic processes, disrupting cell wall formation, or even perturbing essential functions of certain cells [47][48][49]. Hence, the antibacterial principle is to avoid bacteria proliferating and decreasing biofilm formation by eliminating essential nutrient sources to the correct bacteria growth or adding elements that could affect the bacteria biofilm formation [47,50].…”

“…In their initial stages, designs for bactericidal surfaces predominantly relied on chemical methods as standalone approaches. These methods involved incorporating silver nanoparticles or applying antimicrobial compounds to the surface, effectively achieving their intended antibacterial effect [6,49]. While these strategies have demonstrated success, they have also introduced certain challenges, like environmental concerns related to toxicity, as well as the gradual decrease in effectiveness over time due to the bacterial resistance and possible degradation and diminishing concentration of the active compounds [7,65].…”