Fast-Acting and\nSkin-Compatible Antimicrobial Coating\non Cotton Fabrics <i>via</i> <i>In Situ</i> Self-Assembly\nof Phosphine-Coordinated Copper Iodide Clusters

Cotton fabrics and textiles are ubiquitous in domestic,\nhealthcare,\nand commercial settings, but they can harbor a multitude of disease-causing\npathogens due to their lack of intrinsic antimicrobial properties.\nHere, we report a highly effective antiviral and antibacterial coating\nprepared <i>in situ</i> on commercial cotton fabrics by\nusing phosphine-coordinated copper iodide clusters as the sole precursor.\nSelf-assembled hexagonal nanodisks of [Cu<sub>4</sub>I<sub>4</sub>(TPP)<sub>4</sub>] (TPP = triphenylphosphine) clusters formed a hydrophilic\ncoating at only 0.36 wt % relative to the cotton substrate, but capable\nof eliminating >99.9% of murine hepatitis coronaviruses (SARS-CoV\nsurrogate) and clinical isolates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus within 2 min. Direct surface\ncontact was experimentally verified as the mechanism of action, whereby\nthe coating induced the disruption of the bacterial cell membrane.\nMore notably, the coating also exhibited other excellent properties,\nincluding colorless appearance, high durability to various post-treatments,\nexcellent skin compatibility, and ease of industrial scale-up, making\nit a promising technology to prevent the spread of nosocomial infections\nand enhance our preparedness against global outbreaks of infectious\ndiseases in the future.