In Situ Embedding Hydrogen-Bonded Organic Frameworks Nanocrystals in Electrospinning Nanofibers for Ultrastable Broad-Spectrum Antibacterial Activity

In the event of a public health crisis, highly effective and sustainable antimicrobial materials and equipment will be urgently needed. Here, the preparation is reported by electrospinning of broad-spectrum antibacterial nanofibers embedded in a photoactive hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF) of rod-like nanocrystals ≈60 nm in length. The resulting HOF@PVDF-HFP nanofibers maintain excellent tensile and breathability characteristics while shielding HOF nanocrystals against acid and alkali corrosion. A series of nanofibers embedded with different amounts and types of HOF nanocrystals are prepared to optimize their efficiency of singlet oxygen (¹O₂) generation. The 0.5 wt.% HOF-101-F@PVDF-HFP nanofibers exhibit the most efficient ¹O₂ generation that is enhanced by a factor of almost 2 when compared with the HOF-101-F microcrystalline powder. The HOF@PVDF-HFP nanofibers are demonstrated to highly effectively kill pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi in 30 min under ambient light conditions.