Light-activated fabric cuts germs by 75% in hospital rooms in Spain

Scientists in Valencia, Spain, have developed a cotton fabric that disinfects itself in the light. In a test in 12 rooms at La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, the lit fabric collected 75% fewer microorganisms than ordinary cotton under the same conditions. The work, by the Universitat Politècnica de València (Alcoy campus), the Institute of Chemical Technology (ITQ, CSIC-UPV), the Mediterranean Agroforestry Institute and a joint unit with La Fe’s research institute, is published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces.

The fabric carries two light-activated compounds. Under visible light they produce a highly reactive form of oxygen that damages microbes landing on the cloth. In the lab it completely wiped out the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis within 20 minutes and E. coli within 60 minutes. It still beat the reference level for antibacterial fabrics after 20 washes.

Why it matters

Infections caught in hospital are a serious problem, and bed rails, sheets and mattresses can harbour germs. In the trial the fabric was left for 48 hours on bed rails, which get plenty of light, and on mattresses, which get less. Gram-positive bacteria, a group that includes many hospital bugs, fell by 77.5%. The team says the process could slot into standard textile finishing, which would make large-scale production easier.

The catch

This is still a prototype. It relies heavily on light: in dimly lit spots the reduction was only 25%. It reduced the fungus Candida albicans within three hours but did not eliminate it. The hospital test was small and short – 12 rooms over 48 hours – and measured how many microbes built up on the fabric, not whether patients caught fewer infections. Larger studies, cost estimates and safety checks are still needed before it reaches hospital wards.