title: Surface Disinfection Enabled by a Layer-by-Layer Thin Film of Polyelectrolyte-Stabilized Reduced Graphene Oxide upon Solar Near-Infrared Irradiation.
abstract: We report an antibacterial surface that kills airborne bacteria on contact upon minutes of solar near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. This antibacterial surface employs reduced graphene oxide (rGO), a well-known near-infrared photothermal conversion agent, as the photosensitizer and is prepared by assembling oppositely charged polyelectrolyte-stabilized rGO sheets (PEL-rGO) on a quartz substrate with the layer-by-layer (LBL) technique. Upon solar irradiation, the resulting PEL-rGO LBL multilayer efficiently generates rapid localized heating and, within minutes, kills >90% airborne bacteria, including antibiotic-tolerant persisters, on contact, likely by permeabilizing their cellular membranes. The observed activity is retained even when the PEL-rGO LBL multilayer is placed underneath a piece of 3 mm thick pork tissue, indicating that solar light in the near-infrared region plays dominant roles in the observed activity. This work may pave the way toward NIR-light-activated antibacterial surfaces, and our PEL-rGO LBL multilayer may be a novel surface coating material for conveniently disinfecting biomedical implants and common objects touched by people in daily life in the looming postantibiotic era with only minutes of solar exposure.
authors.forename: Liwei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hui
authors.affiliation: §Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States.
authors.forename: Jeffrey T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Auletta
authors.forename: Zhiyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Shangfeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: §Department of Chemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260, United States.
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lihua
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena / Q000528:radiation effects*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000528:radiation effects; D004203:Disinfection / Q000379:methods*; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D005079:Excipients / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D006108:Graphite / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D007259:Infrared Rays; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction / Q000528:radiation effects; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000528:radiation effects; D012993:Solar Energy; D013499:Surface Properties / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D004573:Electrolytes; D005079:Excipients; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D010087:Oxides; D006108:Graphite
keywords: antibacterial; graphene; photothermal; solar; surface