Photosensitive Oxidase Mimics for Spontaneous and Sustainable Pathogen Disinfection in Personal Protective Equipment

The development of personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to control the spread of infectious diseases. However, traditional PPE has significant drawbacks, such as a lack of antibacterial capacity and nonreusability, which may result in direct or indirect secondary infections. Herein, we propose an octahedral (Fe-O₆) Fe-gallate (Fe-GA) metal-organic framework nanozyme with light-enhanced oxidase-like (OXD-like) activity and extend the use onto nonwoven fabric (Fe-GA/NWF) by hot pressing. Specifically, visible-light-mediated carrier migration and the activity of the OXD-like species synergistically enhance the production of reactive oxygen species, achieving superior antibacterial effects without the addition of any chemical additives. In this case, Fe-GA/NWF spontaneously inactivates over 99.9% of real microbial aerosols and demonstrates excellent mechanical properties, reusability (15 cycles), and biocompatibility. Moreover, Fe-GA/NWF can be used as an ideal antibacterial platform for KN95 masks and protective clothing and can be extended to other substrates. This work provides a promising strategy to develop self-antibacterial PPE in complex environments.