Three-dimensional nanoporous Ag–Cu alloys with an atomic ratio of Ag to Cu varying from 0 to 1.0 were fabricated by dealloying Mg–(Ag,Cu)–Y metallic glass precursors in 0.04 M H₂SO₄ aqueous solution. Supersaturated Ag(Cu) solid solution in the nanoporous structure was obtained with a high Cu concentration (up to 47.4%) in the fcc Ag phase after the dealloying treatment. The nanoporous alloys with an ultrafine ligament size (down to 20 nm), a large specific surface area (up to 11.18 m² g⁻¹) and high oxidation resistance in air atmosphere were employed for inhibiting the growth of Gram-negative E. coli and Gram-positive S. aureus. In vitro characterization reveals that the nanoporous alloy with an Ag/Cu ratio of 1 : 1 exhibited the best antibacterial activities in terms of both ultralow minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) (down to 3 and 2.5 mg L⁻¹ for S. aureus and E. coli) and long-term inhibition on bacterial growth in the group of the tested materials. A highly efficient and sustainable release of Cu ions from the nanoporous Ag–Cu alloy could be responsible for such excellent antibacterial activities.

The consumption of disposable materials is booming with the rapid development of urbanization and industrialization, which may inevitably cause the release of toxic and harmful substances during use of them in daily life. This study was to estimate element levels such as Beryllium (Be), Vanadium (V), Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), Cadmium (Cd), Chromium (Cr), Nickel (Ni), Cobalt (Co), Antimony (Sb), Barium (Ba), Lead (Pb), Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), and Selenium (Se) in leachate and subsequently assess the health risk of exposure to those disposable products such as paper and plastic food containers. We found that a large amount of metals was released from disposable food containers in hot water, and the order of metal concentration is Zn > Ba > Fe > Mn > Ni > Cu > Sb > Cr > Se > Be > Pb > Co > V > Cd. Additionally, the hazard quotient (HQ) of metals in young adults were less than 1, and were decreased in the order of Sb > Fe > Cu > Be > Ni > Cr > Pb > Zn > Se > Cd > Ba > Mn > V > Co. Furthermore, the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) results of Ni and Be indicated that chronic exposure to Ni and Be may have a non-negligible carcinogenic risk. These findings suggest that potential health risk of metals may exist for the individuals to use disposable food containers under high temperature environment.