Fabrication of a Superhydrophobic-Photodynamic Dual Antimicrobial Polyester Textile for Inhibiting Biofilm Formation in Medical Applications

The problem of hospital-acquired infections arising from inadequate antimicrobial and antibiofilm performance in medical textiles is an increasingly urgent threat to public health. The dual strategy combining superhydrophobic surfaces with aPDT exhibits potent antibacterial efficacy and barely triggers the risk of antimicrobial resistance, but still encounters significant challenges, including intricate fabrication methods and narrow spectral absorption of single-photosensitizer (PS) systems. A superhydrophobic-photodynamic dual antimicrobial polyester fabric is developed herein for medical applications to address these challenges. A binary-PS system comprising curcumin (Cur) and methylene blue (MB) was loaded onto polyester fabrics via an integrated dyeing and finishing technology, while dodecyltrichlorosilane (DTCS)-modified silicon dioxide (abbreviated as DSiO₂) was spray-coated to construct a robust superhydrophobic surface. The binary-PS (Cur/MB) achieves broad spectral coverage (400-700 nm) and significantly enhances reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation under visible light irradiation via a Type II photodynamic mechanism. Benefiting from its strong antiadhesion and dual-photosensitizer enhanced photodynamic bactericidal properties, the superhydrophobic-photodynamic polyester fabrics exhibit 99.99% (4 log units) antibacterial efficiency under visible light irradiation (60,000 lx, 30 min). Remarkable biofilm inhibition of the fabric is also evidenced by the reduction of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Escherichia coli</i> biofilm activity to 0.11 and 0.42, respectively. Moreover, the fabric displays excellent biocompatibility, maintaining the 85.51% viability of L929 cells after 24 h. Overall, this scalable and efficient fabrication strategy for superhydrophobic-photodynamic antibacterial textiles offers significant advantages in combating bacterial infections and suppressing biofilm formation.