Smart bactericidal textile enabling in-situ visual assessment of antimicrobial activity

Hospital fabrics and wound dressings with antibacterial properties are essential to minimize infection risks associated with bacterial colonization of textiles. A key challenge of these materials lies in the difficulty in assessing their functional lifespan. Integrating bacterial-sensing elements in...

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Main Authors: Amparo Ferrer-Vilanova, Josune Jimenez Ezenarro, Kristina Ivanova, Óscar Calvo, Ilana Perelshtein, Giulio Gorni, Ana Cristina Reguera, Rosalía Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Maria Blanes, Núria Vigués, Jordi Mas, Aharon Gedanken, Tzanko Tzanov, Gonzalo Guirado, Xavier Muñoz-Berbel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Materials Today Bio
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590006425002832
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author Amparo Ferrer-Vilanova
Josune Jimenez Ezenarro
Kristina Ivanova
Óscar Calvo
Ilana Perelshtein
Giulio Gorni
Ana Cristina Reguera
Rosalía Rodríguez-Rodríguez
Maria Blanes
Núria Vigués
Jordi Mas
Aharon Gedanken
Tzanko Tzanov
Gonzalo Guirado
Xavier Muñoz-Berbel
author_facet Amparo Ferrer-Vilanova
Josune Jimenez Ezenarro
Kristina Ivanova
Óscar Calvo
Ilana Perelshtein
Giulio Gorni
Ana Cristina Reguera
Rosalía Rodríguez-Rodríguez
Maria Blanes
Núria Vigués
Jordi Mas
Aharon Gedanken
Tzanko Tzanov
Gonzalo Guirado
Xavier Muñoz-Berbel
author_sort Amparo Ferrer-Vilanova
collection DOAJ
description Hospital fabrics and wound dressings with antibacterial properties are essential to minimize infection risks associated with bacterial colonization of textiles. A key challenge of these materials lies in the difficulty in assessing their functional lifespan. Integrating bacterial-sensing elements into smart textiles enables real-time and in-situ evaluation of antibacterial activity. However, this approach is often hindered by the reactivity between bactericidal and bacterial-sensing components, the limited stability and selectivity of the sensing probes, and high production costs. Here, we address these challenges by presenting a smart textile that simultaneously provides antibacterial activity and bacterial-sensing capacity using a layer-by-layer sonochemical deposition method. Prussian blue, a chromogenic bacterial-sensing probe, is integrated onto hospital-grade antibacterial fabrics containing copper oxide nanoparticles. When the biocidal fabric begins to lose its antimicrobial activity, live bacteria in the textile metabolically reduce Prussian blue nanoparticles, triggering a visible colour change. This approach offers several key advantages, such as: (i) the resulting textile retains antibacterial activity comparable to conventional copper oxide-based textiles (A value > 4 in both cases); (ii) it provides a direct and visible colour transition from blue to colourless (>20 % colour losses) when the antibacterial coating begins to lose effectiveness, enabling straightforward monitoring of antibacterial lifespan without external instruments or reagents; (iii) the co-immobilization enhances coating stability, nearly doubling the binding strength of copper oxide and Prussian blue compared to single-layer coatings; and (iv), the additional Prussian blue layer significantly reduces the material cytotoxicity, enhancing biocompatibility for safer use in healthcare settings. These innovations offer a scalable, cost-effective, and multifunctional solution for infection control. The smart textile not only prevents bacterial spread but also provides timely, visual indications of coating degradation, making it a promising tool for improving patient safety in hospitals and for minimizing infection risks in schools and other high-risk environments.
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spelling doaj-art-102fd4696e6c4f15b45d0a07ca60abb72025-08-20T02:08:11ZengElsevierMaterials Today Bio2590-00642025-06-013210172410.1016/j.mtbio.2025.101724Smart bactericidal textile enabling in-situ visual assessment of antimicrobial activityAmparo Ferrer-Vilanova0Josune Jimenez Ezenarro1Kristina Ivanova2Óscar Calvo3Ilana Perelshtein4Giulio Gorni5Ana Cristina Reguera6Rosalía Rodríguez-Rodríguez7Maria Blanes8Núria Vigués9Jordi Mas10Aharon Gedanken11Tzanko Tzanov12Gonzalo Guirado13Xavier Muñoz-Berbel14Institut de Microelectrònica de Barcelona (IMB-CNM, CSIC), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Corresponding author.Institut de Microelectrònica de Barcelona (IMB-CNM, CSIC), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, SpainUniversitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Edifici Gaia, Pg. Ernest Lluch/Rambla Sant Nebridi s/n., 08222, Terrassa, Barcelona, SpainAsociación de Investigación de la Industria Textil – AITEX, Área de I+D, Grupo de Investigación en Eco-procesos, Cosmética y Salud. Plaza Emilio Sala, 1, 03801, Alcoi, Alacant, SpainDepartment of Chemistry, and the BINA center, Bar-Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat-Gan, IsraelCELLS-ALBA Synchrotron, Carrer de la Llum 2-26, 08290, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Instituto de Óptica (IO-CSIC), c/Serrano 121, 28006, Madrid, SpainDepartment of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Sant Cugat del Vallès, E-08195, SpainDepartment of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC), Sant Cugat del Vallès, E-08195, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y la Nutrición (CIBEROBN), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, E-28029, SpainAsociación de Investigación de la Industria Textil – AITEX, Área de I+D, Grupo de Investigación en Eco-procesos, Cosmética y Salud. Plaza Emilio Sala, 1, 03801, Alcoi, Alacant, SpainDepartament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, SpainDepartament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Chemistry, and the BINA center, Bar-Ilan University, 5290002, Ramat-Gan, IsraelUniversitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Edifici Gaia, Pg. Ernest Lluch/Rambla Sant Nebridi s/n., 08222, Terrassa, Barcelona, SpainDepartament de Química, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, SpainInstitut de Microelectrònica de Barcelona (IMB-CNM, CSIC), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER de Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, E-28029, Spain; Corresponding author. Institut de Microelectrònica de Barcelona (IMB-CNM, CSIC), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.Hospital fabrics and wound dressings with antibacterial properties are essential to minimize infection risks associated with bacterial colonization of textiles. A key challenge of these materials lies in the difficulty in assessing their functional lifespan. Integrating bacterial-sensing elements into smart textiles enables real-time and in-situ evaluation of antibacterial activity. However, this approach is often hindered by the reactivity between bactericidal and bacterial-sensing components, the limited stability and selectivity of the sensing probes, and high production costs. Here, we address these challenges by presenting a smart textile that simultaneously provides antibacterial activity and bacterial-sensing capacity using a layer-by-layer sonochemical deposition method. Prussian blue, a chromogenic bacterial-sensing probe, is integrated onto hospital-grade antibacterial fabrics containing copper oxide nanoparticles. When the biocidal fabric begins to lose its antimicrobial activity, live bacteria in the textile metabolically reduce Prussian blue nanoparticles, triggering a visible colour change. This approach offers several key advantages, such as: (i) the resulting textile retains antibacterial activity comparable to conventional copper oxide-based textiles (A value > 4 in both cases); (ii) it provides a direct and visible colour transition from blue to colourless (>20 % colour losses) when the antibacterial coating begins to lose effectiveness, enabling straightforward monitoring of antibacterial lifespan without external instruments or reagents; (iii) the co-immobilization enhances coating stability, nearly doubling the binding strength of copper oxide and Prussian blue compared to single-layer coatings; and (iv), the additional Prussian blue layer significantly reduces the material cytotoxicity, enhancing biocompatibility for safer use in healthcare settings. These innovations offer a scalable, cost-effective, and multifunctional solution for infection control. The smart textile not only prevents bacterial spread but also provides timely, visual indications of coating degradation, making it a promising tool for improving patient safety in hospitals and for minimizing infection risks in schools and other high-risk environments.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590006425002832Smart textilesBacterial sensingMetabolic indicatorsSonochemical coatingAntibacterial materialNosocomial infections
spellingShingle Amparo Ferrer-Vilanova
Josune Jimenez Ezenarro
Kristina Ivanova
Óscar Calvo
Ilana Perelshtein
Giulio Gorni
Ana Cristina Reguera
Rosalía Rodríguez-Rodríguez
Maria Blanes
Núria Vigués
Jordi Mas
Aharon Gedanken
Tzanko Tzanov
Gonzalo Guirado
Xavier Muñoz-Berbel
Smart bactericidal textile enabling in-situ visual assessment of antimicrobial activity
Materials Today Bio
Smart textiles
Bacterial sensing
Metabolic indicators
Sonochemical coating
Antibacterial material
Nosocomial infections
title Smart bactericidal textile enabling in-situ visual assessment of antimicrobial activity
title_full Smart bactericidal textile enabling in-situ visual assessment of antimicrobial activity
title_fullStr Smart bactericidal textile enabling in-situ visual assessment of antimicrobial activity
title_full_unstemmed Smart bactericidal textile enabling in-situ visual assessment of antimicrobial activity
title_short Smart bactericidal textile enabling in-situ visual assessment of antimicrobial activity
title_sort smart bactericidal textile enabling in situ visual assessment of antimicrobial activity
topic Smart textiles
Bacterial sensing
Metabolic indicators
Sonochemical coating
Antibacterial material
Nosocomial infections
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590006425002832
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