Newly developed halide perovskite nanocrystals (HPNCs) show potential as antimicrobial agents that are stable, effective and easy to produce.
After almost three years, Rice University scientist Yifan Zhu and colleagues have developed a new HPNC that is effective at killing bacteria in a biofluid under visible light without experiencing light- and moisture-driven degradation common in HPNCs.
A new method using two layers of silicon dioxide that Zhu and colleagues developed over years of work was used in experiments with lead-based and bismuth-based HPNCs to test their antimicrobial efficacy and stability in water. The study is published in Nano Letters.
Yifan Zhu, postdoctoral research associate, and Jun Lou, professor and associate chair of materials science and nanoengineering.
HPNCs have unique optical and electrical properties that make them promising candidates for solar power applications, bioimaging and photocatalysis, the acceleration of chemical reactions caused by light in the presence of a catalyst. One such reaction is the production of reactive oxygen species that can inactivate biological contaminants in fluids. However, perovskites are highly prone to degradation in water and biological fluids, limiting their potential in biomedical applications.
"The drawback with these materials has been stability. They're cheap and easy to make but prone to degradation," said study co-author Jun Lou, professor and associate chair of materials science and nanoengineering.
The potential for HPNCs to eliminate contaminants from water has taken center stage in recent years with rising concerns about emerging pathogens and increasing rates of antibiotic resistance. Research has found that HPNCs can kill bacteria in aqueous environments by producing reactive oxygen species when exposed to light. Reactive oxygen species like singlet oxygen and hydroxide react with the proteins, lipids and genetic material in bacterial cells, effectively destroying them.