Ultra-fast bacterial inactivation of Cu2O@halloysite nanotubes hybrids with charge adsorption and physical piercing ability for medical protective fabrics

• Rapid inactivation efficiency, security nano-Cu2O hybrid antibacterial material. • The effective antibacterial mechanism of Cu2O@HNTs. • Realization of high efficiency and broad-spectrum antibacterial protective fabric. Metals have been used for wound treatment and toxicity testing since ancient times. With the development of nanotechnology, metal oxides have been proven to have excellent sterilization and disinfection functions. However, the rapid bacterial inactivation efficiency and trapping physicochemical killing ability remain simultaneously undemonstrated in antibacterial nanohybrids. Here, we demonstrate a method for in-situ reduction of small-sized Cu 2 O particles on one-dimensional inorganic halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). The resultant Cu 2 O@HNTs hybrids not only give Cu 2 O excellent dispersibility, but also exert the synergistic effect of the charge adsorption of metal oxides and the physical piercing effect of the small-sized nanotubes. Furthermore, the release of Cu 2+ from hybrids damages cell membranes and denatures proteins and DNA. Through this sterilization mechanism, Cu 2 O@HNTs allow for the inactivation rate of Escherichia coli to reach 94.5% within 2 min and complete inactivation within 10 min. This excellent sterilization mode makes Cu 2 O@HNTs exhibit excellent broad-spectrum antibacterial activity and inactivation efficiency, while shows weak cytotoxicity. These hybrids were further applied in the processing of functional antibacterial fibers and fabrics. Thus, we believe that this excellent antibacterial hybrid is practically attractive in this critical time of the COVID-19 pandemic.