Schottky junction phototherapy mediated by graphene quantum dots for superior antibacterial performance and rapid wound healing

The integration of metal nanoparticles with semiconductors to form Schottky-barrier junctions within hybrid nanostructures presents a unique opportunity to enhance phototherapeutic performance. Upon photoexcitation, semiconductors generate electron-hole pairs. However, their rapid recombination limits ROS production efficiency. Schottky junctions formed via combination of metal nanoparticles and semiconductors, can directionally transport electrons to the metal, effectively suppressing recombination and prolonging charge carrier lifetimes, thereby enhancing photodynamic reactivity.

Herein, we construct a Schottky junction-based nanocomposite composed of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs), where GOQDs serve as multifunctional building blocks to synergistically enhance both photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT) under 460 nm LED irradiation. GOQDs not only facilitate charge separation and transfer for reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, but also improve photothermal conversion due to their broad optical absorption and high electron mobility. Moreover, their abundant surface functional groups enhance dispersion, biocompatibility, and tissue affinity. The as-prepared AuNPs/GOQDs nanocomposites exhibit excellent dispersion stability, enhanced photothermal and ROS output, and superior biocompatibility. In vitro antibacterial assays demonstrate > 97% bacterial eradication efficiency against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. More importantly, in a murine wound infection model, the nanocomposite enables ~99% wound healing within 9 days, significantly outperforming control treatments.

This work entitled “Schottky junction phototherapy mediated by graphene quantum dots for superior antibacterial performance and rapid wound healing” was published on Acta Physico-Chimica Sinica (published on November 20, 2025).