Assembling of energetic and biocidal moieties via C-N cross coupling reactions for gas-driven biocidal materials

Public health crises often involve bacterial and viral infections, requiring biocidal materials to stop their transmission. Current liquid biocides, such as bleach or alcohol, have low efficiency and portability. In this work, we present a class of gas-driven biocidal materials that release great workable gas and biocide upon decomposition, reaching hard-to-access areas and killing various bacteria. Two series of compounds (Series A: 1–3; Series B: 4–6) were synthesized by assembling of highly energetic moieties with effective biocidal moieties via one-step C-N cross-coupling reactions. Their structures were unambiguous confirmed using analytical techniques, and their biocidal performances were tested in a custom chamber that mimicked challenging sterilization scenarios, such as interior roof, tubes and occluded regions. The decomposition of 30 mg of the as-synthesized compounds killed common bacteria (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans) in different scenarios within 5 s with a > 99.9 % kill rate, much higher than that achieved by chlorine-containing biocide. This study shows the remarkable potential of gas-driven biocidal materials for quick and portable biocides in public health.