Sustainable Cellulose-Based Fibers with AIE-Driven Type I Photodynamic Antibacterial Activity for Reusable Bioactive Textiles

The development of durable, light-activated antibacterial materials is crucial for addressing microbial contamination in biomedical and textile applications. Herein, we report the fabrication of photoresponsive antibacterial cellulose fibers by doping a Type I aggregation-induced emission (AIE) photosensitizer, PS 1, via a wet-spinning strategy. PS 1 exhibits strong fluorescence and efficient reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in the aggregated state, primarily producing superoxide anions with minimal singlet oxygen. Incorporating 2 wt % PS 1 preserves the smooth morphology, mechanical robustness, and excellent compatibility of the cellulose matrix. Under white light, the PS 1-loaded fibers effectively inactivate <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i>, reducing viability to below 10% with negligible dark toxicity. Moreover, the fibers retain over 90% of tensile strength and maintain high antibacterial activity against <i>S. aureus</i> after 50 washing cycles. This scalable approach enables the integration of AIE photosensitizers into biocompatible fibrous systems for next-generation reusable photodynamic antibacterial materials.