Textiles functionalized with cupric oxide (CuO) nanoparticles have become a promising option to prevent the spread of diseases due to their antimicrobial properties, which strongly depend on the structure and morphology of the nanoparticles and the method used for the functionalization process. This article presents a review of work focused on textiles functionalized with CuO nanoparticles, which were classified into two groups, namely, in situ and ex situ. Moreover, the analyzed bacterial strains, the resistance of the antimicrobial properties of textiles to washing processes, and their cytotoxicity were identified. Finally, the possible antimicrobial mechanisms that could develop in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria were described.

COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) represent severe problems in health centers and public areas. Polyester/cotton (PES/CO) blend fabrics have been functionalized with copper oxides on an industrial scale. For functionalization, the impregnation dyeing technique was applied. The functionalized samples were tested virologically against SARS-CoV-2 and human coronavirus (229E) according to ISO 18184-2019 and microbiologically against Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) bacteria according to ASTM E2149-2013. The results show that the fabric functionalized with copper oxides inactivated both viruses after 30 min of exposure, presenting excellent virucidal activity against 229E and SARS-CoV-2, respectively. Furthermore, its inactivation efficiency for SARS-CoV-2 was 99.93% and 99.96% in 30 min and 60 min exposure, respectively. The fabric inhibited bacterial growth by more than 99% before and after 10 and 20 washes. In conclusion, 265 m of PES/CO fabric (wide 1.7 m) was functionalized in situ on an industrial scale with copper oxide nanoparticles. The functionalized fabric presented virucidal and bactericidal properties against SARS-CoV-2 and Escherichia coli.

Empleando un prototipo de reactor, se sintetizaron nanopartículas (NPs) de CuO a través del método de precipitación a partir de CuSO2·5H2O y de Cu(CH3COO)2·H2O. Las NPs obtenidas fueron caracterizadas mediante XRD, FT-IR, TEM y SEM. La actividad antimicrobiana de las NPs se determinó mediante el método de difusión en placa, colocando 20 mg de NPs de CuO sobre cuatro cepas intrahospitalarias o nosocomiales aisladas de la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos de un hospital nacional de Lima norte (Staphylococcus epidermidis, Aerococcus viridans, Ochrobactrum anthropi y Micrococcus lylae). La caracterización de las NPs de CuO demostró que las sintetizadas a partir de acetato (CuO–Acet) presentaron una fase pura de CuO, mientras que las sintetizadas a partir de sulfato (CuO–Sulf) presentaron dos fases, donde la de CuO representó más del 84%. Los dominios cristalinos del CuO–Acet y CuO–Sulf fueron 15 y 19 nm, respectivamente. Los halos de inhibición de las cepas estudiadas fueron mayores para las NPs de CuO–Sulf que para las NPs de CuO–Acet; solo para la cepa chrobactrum anthropi se presentaron halos similares para ambos tipos de NPs.

Nanoparticles of ZnO₂ were synthesized through sol–gel technique using zinc acetate and hydrogen peroxide in aqueous solution exposed to UV irradiation and dried at 100 °C. Using electron microscope techniques, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis we have studied in detail the structure and morphology of the obtained powders. With annealing treatment of the as-synthesized nanoparticles it was possible to achieve different crystalline structures from pure ZnO₂ to pure ZnO nanoparticles. Three different nanoparticles were selected: the as-synthesized nanoparticles obtained at 100 °C constituted by ZnO₂, the sample annealed at 160 °C composed by ZnO₂–ZnO mixture and the annealed sample at 220 °C constituted by pure ZnO. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was employed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of three selected nanoparticle samples. The inhibition zone was largest for ZnO₂ nanoparticles.