Yi, G., Teong, S. P., Gao, S., Armugam, A., Li, X., Wang, J., Chan, S. P., Lu, H., Ying, J. Y., & Zhang, Y. (2024). Neutrophil-inspired Zn and Zn@ZnO microparticles decorated with Cu nanoparticles self-release oxidized halogen antimicrobials. Materials Today Nano, 28, 100542. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtnano.2024.100542
Abstract:
Oxidized halogen antimicrobials, such as hypochlorous acid, have been widely used for microbial control, successfully eliminating waterborne diseases like cholera, typhoid, dysentery, and hepatitis A in developed countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic, these acids were used extensively for air and surface disinfection. However, they require repeated applications as they only offer one-time disinfection. To address this issue, we have developed Cu nanoparticles decorated Zn and Zn@ZnO (denoted as Zn@Cu and Zn@ZnO/Cu), mimicking the neutrophils NADPH oxidase (NOX) system. This novel system utilizes zinc metal to produce H2O2, and a catalytic copper shell to convert H2O2 and Cl−/Br−/I− to hypohalous acid, which has good antimicrobial and antiviral properties along with enhanced durability. The addition of Zn@Cu onto painted surfaces shows good disinfection properties. The application of Zn@ZnO/Cu in diabetic wound healing yields superior outcomes to the conventional silver-based commercial products.
License type:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the National Research Foundation - Competitive Research Programme
Grant Reference no. : NRF-CRP19-2017-02