Faculty or Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an, 625014, China
Email: fjy202305880@stu.sicau.edu.cn
Manuscript received July 4, 2026; accepted August 1, 2026; published September 23, 2026
Abstract—As bacterial resistance rises, developing safe and effective antibacterial materials is a key challenge for public health and functional textiles. Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) has attracted considerable attention due to its excellent antibacterial activity, low cost, and environmental friendliness. In this study, Cu2O nanoparticles were synthesized and systematically evaluated for their antibacterial performance and underlying mechanisms. Their morphology, crystal structure, and composition were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), elemental mapping, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Antibacterial activity was assessed against representative bacterial strains at different concentrations and on textile substrates. Mechanistic studies included biofilm inhibition, nucleic acid leakage, and redox-related assays. The results demonstrated that Cu2O nanoparticles exhibited concentration-dependent antibacterial effects, effectively inhibiting bacterial growth on textiles, while causing significant membrane disruption and intracellular nucleic acid leakage. These findings indicate that the antibacterial activity primarily arises from cell membrane damage and intracellular leakage, with redox processes contributing to enhanced inactivation. This work provides mechanistic insights into Cu2O-based antibacterial materials and supports their application in functional textiles.
Keywords—Cu2O, Antibacterial materials, Membrane disruption, Intracellular nucleic acid leakage, Functional textiles
Cite: Junyi Fan, "Antibacterial Performance and Mechanistic Investigation of Cu2O Nanoparticles for Textile Applications," International Journal of Engineering and Technology, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 158-164, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (
CC BY 4.0). 
