Soybean Protein Isolate-Incorporated Zwitterionic Hydrogel with Rapid Chlorine Rechargeable Biocidal and Antifouling Functions

Abstract

Pathogenic contamination is recognized as a significant burden on public health. Most current antimicrobial strategies are limited due to the irreversible consumption of antimicrobial agents and the biofouling effect. Herein, we reported a scalable approach of chemically incorporating soybean protein isolates (SPIs) into a zwitterionic (SBMA) hydrogel network. Benefiting from the existence of SPI moieties, the obtained SPI-SBMA hydrogels exhibit a high active chlorine capacity (>400 ppm), easy chlorine rechargeability, and long-term chlorine stability, ensuring a promising biocidal activity against both bacteria (6 log cfu reduction within 5 min) and viruses. SBMA moieties with robust hydration ability offer the SPI-SBMA hydrogel great antifouling functions, allowing the hydrogel to resist bacterial adhesion effectively and release attached bacteria quickly. The influence of SPI on the antifouling performance of SPI-SBMA hydrogel is a balance between the decreased hydrophilicity and reduced hydrogel channel size. The successfully synthesized SPI-SBMA hydrogel with intriguing biocidal and antifouling functions demonstrates good mechanical performance, implying great application potential in various areas.