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Sunlight‐Sensitive Plasmonic Nanostructured Composites as Photocatalytic Coating with Antibacterial Properties
Author(s) -
MarínCaba Laura,
Bodelón Gustavo,
NegrínMontecelo Yoel,
CorreaDuarte Miguel A.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.202105807
Subject(s) - materials science , photocatalysis , photodegradation , nanocomposite , rhodamine b , coating , nanorod , titanium dioxide , visible spectrum , plasmon , nanotechnology , composite material , optoelectronics , catalysis , chemistry , biochemistry
Infections caused by microorganisms are a global public health problem that continually demands new antimicrobial strategies. The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by photocatalytic materials is an attractive approach to combat microbes. Along these lines, titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) constitutes an outstanding light‐driven ROS generator. However, the wide bandgap of this semiconductor limits its use to the ultraviolet range of the spectral region. Herein, nanostructured materials composed of TiO 2 nanoparticles and plasmonic gold nanorods (AuNRs) are presented for the photoinactivation of bacteria by means of sunlight irradiation, aiming to extend the photocatalytic action of the nanocomposite to the visible and near‐infrared ranges. It is shown that, upon simulated sunlight irradiation, the different composites as coating films show photodegradation of rhodamine B, ROS production, photocatalytic inactivation of protein function in bacterial biofilms, and strong antimicrobial activity. This approach involving AuNRs/TiO 2 photocatalytic composites may pave the way for the fabrication of visible light‐responsive surfaces with antimicrobial activity.