Cationic porphyrin covalent organic framework reinforced hydroxypropyl methylcellulose films for photodynamic-photothermal sterilization and food preservation.

Quanbin Fu; Xin Sun; Haonan Guo; Yijing Li; Bowen Zhang; Geoffrey I N Waterhouse; Houshen Li; Shiyun Ai

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2026.150418

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Cationic porphyrin covalent organic framework reinforced hydroxypropyl methylcellulose films for photodynamic-photothermal sterilization and food preservation.

Quanbin Fu·Xin Sun·Haonan Guo·Yijing Li·Bowen Zhang·Geoffrey I N Waterhouse·Houshen Li·Shiyun Ai

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Abstract

Microbial contamination in food necessitates effective antimicrobial packaging. While cellulose-based packaging materials suffer from limited antimicrobial efficacy, lack of active functionality, and susceptibility to inducing microbial resistance. To address these challenges, this study synthesized a cationic porphyrin-based covalent organic framework (Por-ICOF) as a multimodal photosensitizer. Por-ICOF was uniformly dispersed via non-covalent interaction within hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), creating an HPMC/Por-ICOF composite film. This integration enhanced mechanical strength (increased by 26%), hydrophobicity (WCA 71°), and gas barrier properties (OP reduced by 42%, WVP reduced by 36%). Under visible light, the HPMC/Por ICOF film superior absorption generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and photothermal effects, inactivating 99.2% of Escherichia coli and 99.95% of Staphylococcus aureus within 20 min. The composite film exhibited excellent biocompatibility and effectively extended the shelf life of strawberries. This cationic modification strategy for cellulose-based films offers a novel avenue for the design of high-performance antimicrobial food packaging materials.

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Food Preservation Food Packaging Escherichia coli Hypromellose Derivatives Staphylococcus aureus Porphyrins Photosensitizing Agents Sterilization Anti-Bacterial Agents Fragaria Light Biodegradable Cationic porphyrin-based covalent organic framework Cellulose-based composite films Photodynamic antimicrobial Strawberries preservation Journal Article Evaluation Study

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Quanbin Fu, Xin Sun, Haonan Guo, Yijing Li, Bowen Zhang, Geoffrey I N Waterhouse, Houshen Li, Shiyun Ai. 2026-07-15. Cationic porphyrin covalent organic framework reinforced hydroxypropyl methylcellulose films for photodynamic-photothermal sterilization and food preservation.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2026.150418

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Anti-Bacterial Agents subject Escherichia coli subject Food Preservation subject Journal Article subject Photodynamic antimicrobial subject Photosensitizing Agents subject Porphyrins subject

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