Illustrative representation of the proposed charge transfer pathway and associated reactions, highlighting the antibacterial mechanism of the Fe3O4@mPEG-Ag hybrid-NPs under visible light irradiation. (IMAGE)
Caption
As a highly efficient semiconductor photocatalyst, these hybrid-NPs generate high levels of reactive species under visible light irradiation, which play a crucial role in inactivating targeted bacteria. Under visible light illumination, these hybrid-NPs lead to the generation of e−/h pairs. These photoexcited e+−/h pairs participate in various reactions that ultimately result in the production of cytotoxic ROS, These reactive species cause oxidative harm to essential biomolecules in pathogens by initially disrupting their outer structure, leading to the release of intracellular contents and ultimately resulting in cell lysis.
Credit
Yang Lab@GMU & Yuan Lab@SCUT.
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